Having pay cable used to be a very exclusive club. Those folks who had HBO or Showtime had the happening places to hang out back in the 80s and 90s. But, as technology has grown in recent years, a lot of folks have opted for streaming services like Hulu or Netflix to binge their favorite programs. Even though HBO has offered their own streaming site, HBO GO, it has only been for subscribers to the channel itself. Until now.
HBO has revealed that in 2015, HBO GO will become it’s own fully functioning streaming service with an independent subscription from the cable channel. This is pretty significant news as this means folks who don’t have cable or satellite television can now watch new episodes of TRUE DETECTIVE or GAME OF THRONES without being saddled with a premium bill. This will also mark one of the biggest entries into the streaming market.
Cable as we know it is changing as rapidly as the movie industry. HBO has long been a major player in both original programming and the premiere destination for movies after their theatrical run. Having major studio films available online and on demand will definitely be a competition for Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and other sites. Plus, HBO’s ability to pull major stars for their films and mini-series means that those big Hollywood stars may be enticed to contracts similar to Adam Sandler‘s with Netflix.
It remains to be seen what the price point will be for HBO GO, but expect there to be a lot of people interested when it debuts next year.