HBO Now

HBO Now
Type OTT streaming service
Founded October 15, 2014
Headquarters New York City, New York, United States
Area served United States
Key people Richard Plepler
(CEO, Home Box Office Inc.)
Owner Home Box Office Inc. (Time Warner)
Website hbonow.com
Type of site Video on demand
Registration Monthly subscription through authorized distributor required to access content
Available in English
Launched April 7, 2015[1]

HBO Now is an over-the-top subscription video on demand service operated by American premium cable and satellite television network HBO. Officially unveiled on March 9 and launched on April 7, 2015[1] the service allows subscribers on-demand access to HBO's library of original programs, films and other content on personal computers, smartphones, tablet devices and digital media players.[2] Unlike HBO Go, HBO's online video on demand service for existing subscribers of the linear television channel, HBO Now is available as a standalone service and does not require a television subscription to use, targeting cord cutters who use competing services such as Netflix and Hulu.

Although it is structured as an over-the-top service, HBO Now is not sold directly to consumers and must be purchased through an authorized partner, such as Apple Inc. or participating internet service providers.

Development

On October 15, 2014, following a trial of a similar service in Nordic Europe, HBO announced plans to launch an online, subscription video on demand service in the United States in 2015. This new service would be geared towards cord cutters – consumers who primarily use online video services to view television programs rather than subscribe to cable or satellite television – and would not have to be purchased as part of a television subscription, therefore also making it a competitor to services such as Netflix. This contrasts with HBO's existing online video on demand service, HBO Go, which is only accessible to those who have subscribed to HBO through a television provider.[3][4]

On December 9, 2014, it was reported that HBO had outsourced development of the service's infrastructure to Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM), who also developed the infrastructures used by WatchESPN and WWE Network. The network was previously working on a new platform codenamed "Maui"; however HBO, especially after major outages of HBO Go that occurred during several recent season premieres of high-profile HBO series, felt that outsourcing the service to a third-party would bring lower risk to the project. Otto Berkes stepped down as the company's Chief Technical Officer following this move.[5]

The service was officially unveiled as HBO Now during an Apple press event on March 9, 2015.[6] It was also announced that Apple would be the service's exclusive launch partner; the service's app will, for a three-month exclusivity period,[7] only be available to Apple TV and iOS devices, and those who subscribe to HBO Now from these qualifying devices during April will also receive their first month of service at no charge.[2][8] HBO Now content can also be assessed on its website. HBO Now officially went live on April 7, 2015, to coincide with the April 12 premiere of the fifth season of Game of Thrones.[1]

Content

HBO Now offers on-demand access to HBO's entire library of original series, as well as original films and documentaries, along with acquired films from its library through the cable channel's content partners (such as 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures and HBO sister company Warner Bros. Pictures). Time Warner stated that at least 2,000 titles would be available upon the service's launch.[8]

Like with HBO Go, HBO Now strictly serves as a video on demand service and does not include access to near-real-time streams of HBO's linear channels – unlike similar (in particular, TV Everywhere) streaming services offered by other television networks.[8][9] HBO Now also does not include programming streams or content from sister premium service Cinemax, and Time Warner has indicated that it does not plan to launch a companion standalone service for that network in the near term.[10]

Availability

HBO Now is only available to customers in the United States and certain U.S. territories; due to regional rights restrictions (such as in Canada, where Bell Media owns exclusive rights to HBO's back-catalog for its CraveTV service, and the HBO Canada channel owns exclusive rights to current HBO programs and offers its own HBO Go app—both of which require a television subscription to use) HBO cannot offer the service outside of the country, and its terms of use explicitly forbid the service from being used outside the United States. Users from outside the U.S. that have used services such as virtual private networks (VPN) to evade the geo-blocking to use HBO Now will have their services terminated with no refund.[11][12]

Although HBO Now is a standalone service, it is still not sold directly to consumers, and can only be purchased through Apple and participating broadband providers. Cablevision (which was HBO's first television distribution partner following its launch in November 1972, owing to their shared ownership by network founder Charles Dolan at the time) was announced as the first of these partners on March 16, 2015, although it did not state when the service would be available through them and how it will be priced.[13][14][7]

On April 1, 2015, as part of an agreement with Time Warner that renewed its carriage contract for the Turner Broadcasting System networks and gave its over-the-top television service Sling TV distribution rights to the linear HBO channel, Dish Network secured an option to become a distribution partner for HBO Now following the exclusivity period with Apple.[15][16]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jeff Baumgartner (April 7, 2015). "‘HBO Now’ Goes Live". Multichannel News. NewBay Media.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "HBO Now coming in April for $14.99 per month, Apple TV price cut to $69". The Verge. Vox Media. March 9, 2015.
  3. ↑ "HBO To Launch Stand-Alone Online Service, Without Cable, In 2015: Time Warner Investor Day". Deadline.com (Penske Media Corporation). October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  4. ↑ "HBO Go-It-Alone: There Goes the Cable Bundle?". The Atlantic (Atlantic Media). October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ "HBO CTO Otto Berkes Resigns After Network Enlists MLB to Build OTT Platform". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  6. ↑ "http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/7/8363811/hbo-now-apple-tv-hands-on". The Verge. April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "You won't be able to buy HBO Now directly from HBO". The Verge. Vox Media. March 16, 2015.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "HBO officially announces April launch of HBO Now at Apple event". Gigaom. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  9. ↑ Nick Jesdanun (March 16, 2015). "3 things to know about HBO's new streaming service". The Arizona Republic (Gannett Company). Associated Press. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  10. ↑ Adam Epstein (March 11, 2015). "What does HBO Now mean for budding Cinemax?". Quartz. Atlantic Media.
  11. ↑ "HBO Now users outside US to be 'cut off'". BBC News. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "HBO is cracking down on Canadians accessing streaming service HBO Now". Financial Post. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "Cablevision to Offer HBO Now to Broadband-Only Customers". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. March 16, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Cablevision Breaks Ranks And Agrees To Offer HBO Now To Broadband Subs". Deadline.com. Penske Media Corporation. March 16, 2015.
  15. ↑ Joe Flint; Shalini Ramachandran (April 1, 2015). "Turner and Dish Reach New Distribution Pact". The Wall Street Journal (News Corp.). Retrieved April 6, 2015. (subscription required)
  16. ↑ Chris Welch (April 1, 2015). "HBO is coming to Sling TV this month". The Verge (Vox Media). Retrieved April 6, 2015.

External links