In a press release HBO has just announced that they will be offering a stand-alone streaming service in 2015, releasing the shackles of the major cable networks (a la Netflix).
From HBO’s press release:
October 15, 2014
HBO CHAIRMAN AND CEO RICHARD PLEPLER ANNOUNCES HBO TO OFFER A STAND-ALONE HBO STREAMING SERVICE IN 2015
Speaking at the Time Warner Inc. Investor Meeting today, Richard Plepler, chairman and CEO, HBO, announced that the company will offer a stand-alone HBO streaming service in 2015. Following a portion of his presentation focused on HBO’s domestic business, during which he cited significant growth opportunities inside the pay-TV universe, Plepler then turned to the current ten million broadband-only homes, which is projected to grow.
Plepler then added:
“That is a large and growing opportunity that should no longer be left untapped. 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.”
Best news ever? Best news ever. I recently spent a month without a working cable box out of pure laziness. All I had to do was drag my ass down to the Time Warner storefront and swap it out. Instead I opted to use AppleTV for a month, streaming HBOGo, ESPN3/WatchESPN, Hulu/HuluPlus, and a few others….and I didn’t miss cable at all. This announcement brings me one step closer to dropping it entirely, thank you HBO.