HBO Finally Offering Online Streaming Without a Cable Package
Rejoice, all you television-philes. That which we've so long hoped for will soon come to pass: HBO announced today that starting next year, its shows will be available via an online streaming service—no cable subscription necessary.
Entertainment Weekly reports:
Cord-cutting HBO fans have increasingly clamored for the service to be made available without a traditional cable subscription. The network's most popular program in its history, Game of Thrones, has been ranked the most pirated TV show in the world, and one common refrain among illegal downloaders is that there is no way to legally obtain the series in a timely manner without opting into an expensive cable TV package.
HBO launched a streaming app called HBO Go in 2010 to view its current programs, but it's only available to subscribers of its traditional cable service. The network took another step into the streaming world earlier this year by licensing a large portion of its library to Amazon Prime.
Earlier this summer, a Movoto analysis found Game of Thrones is the TV show most frequently illegally downloaded across the country. Even relative to the national average, it was the top torrented show in fifteen states:
Love TV? Read all about it in this month's magazine, includng Peter Suderman on how murder, treachery, and mayhem made TV a "vast wasteland" no more.