With five days to go until the Game of Thrones season 5 premiere, HBO has launched their standalone streaming service HBO Now.
In a first for HBO since its inception, HBO Now allows you to sign up for the premium cable channel without a cable subscription from your television/internet company.
The HBO Now channel was added to Apple TV on Tuesday morning, allowing users to sign up using their iTunes account. Everyone will receive a 30-day free trial upon sign up, making it a no-brainer for Game of Thrones fans who want to catch season 5 as soon as each episode launches at 9 p.m. eastern.
HBO Now is priced at $14.99 and, for now, exclusively available on Apple devices including the Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad. If you’re using it on iOS, grab it here in the iTunes Store.
The cable company talked John Oliver into shooting a promotional video for the announcement:
HBO said recently they chose Apple as their HBO Now launch partner because 60% of HBO Go usage occurs through Apple’s devices.
Although Apple products are the exclusive digital home of HBO Now, the streaming service has also launched for Optimum Online customers today. HBO is preparing to launch Now on Sling TV and Cablevision soon, with other cable companies expected to announce its availability (sans cable subscription) in the weeks ahead.
The launch of HBO Now marks a major turning point for how we watch television. Following HBO’s announcement last year, the walls began to fall. Examples: Showtime announced they too are exploring a cable-free package, Direct TV announced the aforementioned Sling TV service (which lets you watch several live channels without a cable subscription), and major networks like CBS now offer streaming packages.