HBO’s new standalone streaming video service will launch in April and cost around $15 a month, according to a new report.
The entertainment company will dub the new service “HBO Now” and will offer it as a separate app from its existing “HBO Go” service, which allows consumers who subscribe to HBO through their pay TV operator to access the network’s videos and shows on smartphones, tablets and smart TVs, according to the International Business Times. HBO is talking with Apple about having HBO Now debut on the company’s Apple TV box, among other streaming video players, the IBT reported, citing “sources familiar with their plans.”
HBO is hoping to launch the new service before the April 12 debut of the fifth season of its popular “Game of Thrones” show, according to the report. But the company is aware of the technical challenges and hopes to launch the new service without glitches.
For years in most parts of the world, HBO has solely offered access to its programming to pay TV subscribers and has resisted the idea of offering a standalone service. But last fall, the company changed course and announced plans last fall to launch a service that would be separate from pay TV packages. The move is part of a larger shift in the distribution of traditional pay TV networks and programming; following HBO’s announcement, Showtime and CBS announced their own streaming plans and Dish launched Sling TV, a bundled of pay TV channels that is distributed over the Internet.