HBO used an Apple event to formally announce details about their standalone streaming service, HBO Now.
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Update (March 9): HBO Now will launch exclusively on Apple TV in early April just in time for Game of Thrones season 5, the company announced during Apple’s “Spring Forward” event on Monday. It will cost $14.99/month, and you’ll get the first month free when you sign up. A new trailer for Game of Thrones season 5 also debuted today at the Apple event.
Apple users will have exclusive access to HBO Now for three months before other companies can add the service to their devices.
To celebrate the news, Apple dropped the price of Apple TV to $69 and unveiled an amazing new Game of Thrones season 5 trailer.
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Original story (March 4): According to the International Business Times, HBO Now will launch by Game of Thrones season 5’s April 12 premiere and is expected to cost $15/month. The report also states that HBO is hoping to line up Apple as one of their launch partners (meaning an app separate from HBO Go will be available on Apple TV).
HBO is expected to line up several partners for the HBO Now service including Roku, Xbox, PlayStation, and Amazon, all of whom have streaming services on their devices.
At $15/month, HBO Now will be nearly double the cost of Netflix, which is available for as low as $7.99/month, and about the same cost as if you were to sign up for HBO through a cable company. HBO has always seen their service as a “premium,” thus the higher cost than Netflix despite having a fraction of the streaming content.
Debuting HBO Now with Game of Thrones is a smart choice, as the George R.R. Martin-based drama is one of the most-pirated shows in history. HBO is very aware of how pirated it is and considers it a “compliment”. Giving people the option to subscribe to HBO without a cable subscription will surely help reduce piracy, if only slightly.
Will you pay for HBO Now at $15/month?
HBO’s decision to finally break away from cable companies will be a major moment for the premium channel, because they’ve been tied to cable company subscriptions for their entire life.