HBO Now Coming this Spring, Costs $15 Per Month
posted Saturday Mar 7, 2015 by Scott Ertz
After months of speculation, HBO kind of announced a standalone streaming service, in which no details were given. This week, though, International Business Times got word that the new service would come around very soon. In fact, the new service, known as HBO Now, could launch as soon as April, giving us only a month to wait before being able to watch shows like Game of Thrones without having to have cable and HBO service.
The service is expected to retail for around $15 per month - roughly the same price as purchasing standard HBO service from a cable provider. The big difference will be that you will not be required to have cable to make the purchase for the first time in HBO's history. This is a great addition to the world for those who are trying to get as far away from cable or telecom companies as they can.
The service will be available in a similar line as HBO Go, being available on a wide variety of portable devices and set-top style devices. As part of their launch plans, Time Warner, HBO's parent company, is in talks with Apple to have the service available on Apple TV at launch. It is also likely to be available on platforms that are used more than Apple TV, such as Xbox 360 and Xbox One, PlayStation, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, etc.
Though the April timeframe is speculative, it is based on information from inside the company. The release is trying to be timed to coincide with the premiere of the next season of Game of thrones, slated to release on April 12. While the company has shown pride in the fact that their show is the most pirated television program, being able to circumvent the piracy would certainly be better. Being able to provide legal programming to those without cable is a win-win for everyone involved, and timing it with this premiere is the best way to market the launch.