HBO to Launch HBO Now Streaming Video Service Exclusively on Apple TV and Devices
Apple and HBO have inked a deal to stream HBO movies and television shows exclusively on Apple TV via HBO Now.
HBO's first ever standalone digital streaming package, HBO Now, will soon be available on Apple devices like iPhones, iPads and Apple TV by April this year without viewers having to pay for a cable subscription.
"This is a transformative moment for HBO," HBO Chairman and CEO, Richard Pleper said as published on CNN Money. The news HBO and Apple were in talks to distribute HBO Now was announced in October last year.
The streaming video service, available only in the U.S., will still cost viewers $14.99 in monthly service fees, however. It is also the first time the cable and satellite TV network is offering a standalone service to make HBO's programming available to people who don't have a cable subscription.
The agreement takes effects in time for Season 5 of the popular HBO fantasy drama, "Game of Thrones," which premieres on April 12.
HBO has announced it is in talks with Internet service providers like Comcast and Time Warner Cable, to make HBO Now available to viewers as part of their broadband package, ready to stream shows on applicable devices. This means viewers who want to watch HBO shows on PC need to own at least one approved Apple device.
Viewers who subscribe via their Apple devices next month will get one month's free subscription service, and will get access to HBO's past and current movies and TV shows.
With the exclusive three-month deal HBO has with Apple, other home streaming services like PlayStation, Xbox, and Roku will be unable to stream HBO shows until July this year.
