Speaking at today's Time Warner Inc. Investor Meeting, HBO CEO Richard Plepler announced that the company will begin offering a stand-alone HBO streaming service in 2015. That's great news for those who have been longing to cut the cord, but haven't been able to because of that shackles that rquire a cable or satellite package to subscribe to HBO. No longer will my enjoyment of Game of Thrones be tied to a cable subscription with jacked up rates.
During his portion of the presentation focused on HBO's domestic business, Plepler cited significant growth opportunities outside the pay-TV universe — particularly with households that pay for broadband-only.
"That is a large and growing opportunity that should no longer be left untapped," he said of the current ten million homes that only pay for broadband. With that number projected to grow, Plepler added, "It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO."
“So, in 2015, we will launch a stand-alone, over-the-top, HBO service in the United States. We will work with our current partners. And, we will explore models with new partners. All in, there are 80 million homes that do not have HBO and we will use all means at our disposal to go after them.”
Would you pay for an HBO streaming subscription if it meant not having to have a cable subscription? I guess the question would have to be, how much would you be willing pay for an HBO streaming subscription for it to be worth it? Right now, no pricing details have been announced.
