HBO has made its official announcement regarding the 2015 launching of a streaming video service which will not ask consumers to make a cable or satellite subscription.
The news has been widely welcomed not only by the television industry but also by consumers who will be given more viewing choices. TV fans can look forward to dropping their pricey cable subscriptions and consider HBO's offering instead, as it is somewhat similar to that of Netflix or YouTube. Such trend over the past years has been providing viewers with more online choices, offering greater convenience.
"This is an enormous breakthrough; consumers will be able to get to pick what they want and they will finally have content companies selling directly to them," Gene Kimmelman, president of the public interest group Public Knowledge explained.
"The question is, 'Who is next'? That's trickier because this speaks to the power of HBO's brand to be able to break from the cable bundle," he added.
There have been no specific information, however, with regards to the costs and type of content that will be offered by the streaming service. According to HBO chief executive Richard Plepler, such service will be made available to subscribers in the United States and in two more countries before being unveiled on an international scale.
Plepler also emphasized that the network's streaming service will be "complementary to cable." He mentioned that HBO is setting its sights on at least 10 million households in the United States that have access to the Internet but do not have cable or satellite subscriptions.
Last May, HBO and Amazon announced their agreement that members of Amazon prime will be able to view various HBO shows and films, majority of which are seasons of past shows, such as "The Sopranos." Now, HBO's streaming service will be offered in collaboration with Internet service providers, which are also the network's cable partners.
"It's time to remove the barriers to those that want HBO," Plepler commented.
