HBO Stand-Alone Streaming Service

I think it is a great news. In this way we can get current series of most of the serials that will be out in the future. But I am worried that the HBO subscription rate will also increase due to additional features they will be providing. I just hope the rates would not increase too much.

 

The Walking Dead isn't HBO.

Either way, this is a nice thing. It's a step forward, as most people I know don't care about 99% of the channels in basic/extended packages you need to get HBO/Showtime/AMC, and paying just for one is a great way to see what you want without having to overpay. Also, it may be good for rating calculations too, especially since it's very easy to profile people's demographics indepth on the internet.

 

HBO was already experimenting with tis in other countries. They've been putting up full 1080p Game of Thrones episodes for stream on YouTube right after they finished airing for many countries that would have pirated it otherwise. It was a really surprising move, because HBO tends to show their shows on regional channels as early as 2 weeks after the USA premiere.

 

I don't think this stand alone streaming idea is going to pan out well to the expectations of HBO. I mean they already have stiff competition against other streaming platforms, with Netflix being the biggest one. But what I want to know is what amount of content will they have that justifies a price tag near, equal to or more than what Netflix charges. Nonetheless, I hope their intentions go according to plan. I guess I'll have to watch what happens very closely.

 

I think this is great news. I hope it is successful and other similar companies follow suit. I don't want to pay 100 dollars a month for 300 channels I barely watch. I'd rather pay for only the channels I view regularly. If I can subscribe to HBO I'll pay for it and watch happily.

 

As far as I understand, this isn't Netflix, you are legitimately getting real time streaming of the actual channel itself. For way less than you would get with a normal cable package. I'm pretty sure it's win-win.. And if they add on-demand like HBO Go, which I assume they will, becasue why not.. what's there to be sceptical about, really?: )

 

I think that could be cool. HBO has some quality shows, such as Flight of the Conchords, Eastbound and Down, Game of Thrones, Girls, Entourage, ad others. I'm looking forward to their new show, Getting On. It looks good, and it has Alex Borstein in it. In any case, this does seem like it could be a good service and it might do well.

 

You know, I'm intrigued by your usage of the word, "legally." So many torrenters have claimed that if this service or that service were available in a different format or made cheaper then they wouldn't steal the media that they are enjoying, so I am curious to see if people will go the legal route like you plan to or if they will just come up with another justification for stealing.

 

You'e probably right. No matter what, there will always be someone who wants to watch these things for free, by any means possible. Odds are, there will still be people trying to upload these things on Youtube or other free sites. So long as there's a demand for it, people will still illegally upload/download these things.

 

I already get HBO so it's not a huge difference for me, but think it's a game-changer in how we buy cable and think it's a great trend to go towards. One day if I want to save some money and not get the hundreds of channels I never put on, it'll be nice to pick the basic cable package plus ten or so of the premium channels that I know I watch. I just think it almost might get more expensive at some point if you have to do each one individually instead of in packages. One channel for $6.99 a month isn't bad, but ten of those will add up!

 

I can't afford to get HBO but I really like some of the shows that they had like game of thrones. If this works out I would happily pay a monthly fee to watch them. as long is it at a reasonable price.