HBO Is "Seriously Considering" Selling It's Shows Directly To The Consumers

[CEITEDMOFO]

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes has addressed at a recent investment conference the cable network's views in selling cheaper and standalone subscription to HBO Go.

HBO Go is the cabler's online streaming service offering the slew of original HBO programing such as Game of Thrones, The Newsroom, et al. through payed TV subscriptions.

Bewkes was asked whether HBO would finally consider making the bold move of directly selling its shows to the consumers so that “anybody who’s got a broadband connection can get it for $15 or $20 or whatever the price is.” Hence, side-stepping cable distributors.

Here's Bewkes response:

We are always looking at it.

What we’ve basically been doing, we’re looking at the market. We’ve been looking at our ability to service customers and our distributors. And basically up until now, it looked to us as though the best and main opportunity was to focus on improving the penetration, the offering, the servicing, the interface, the monetization of HBO through the existing affiliate system. And part of the reason for that was, first of all, there were some real places of opportunity and underperformers there.

Secondly, the broadband-only opportunity up until now wasn’t again looked to us to be really at the point where it would be smart to move the focus from one to the other.

So now the broadband opportunity is getting quite a bit bigger, and the ability of the plant to deliver something robust is getting stronger; and so the question you’re asking is becoming more viable, more interesting.

What we’re trying to do is basically make sure that we’ve done everything we can with our distributors to take advantage and have them take advantage of what customers they could have. And we’ve got to keep looking actively.

We’re seriously considering what is the best way to deal with online distribution, but I don’t have anything to announce about it today.

Bypassing Comcast, Time Warner Cable and others... people will be interested.

http://www.spoilersguide.com/hbo-go-no-cable/



thoughts?

 

[Silkk]

Would be smart

 

[Real]

I'd pay around 10 bucks a month for hboGO.

 

[CoolazzFemale]

About time. I would pay $8 or $9 for hbogo.

 

[Real]

I hope they fix their shyt though

I see in the GoT threads that HboGo be crashing alot

 

[Food Mane]

I'm not sure it would be worth it. I pay 20 right now for hbo, tmn, and about 8 other movie channels. Could they get the price low enough for it to make sense to someone like me?

 

[Kill Dat Noize]

I'm not sure it would be worth it. I pay 20 right now for hbo, tmn, and about 8 other movie channels. Could they get the price low enough for it to make sense to someone like me?

that's ON TOP of the price of your cable though isn't it?

 

[Food Mane]

that's ON TOP of the price of your cable though isn't it?

Yes it is. So cable + $20 gets me hbo and a grip of movie of channels or cable plus $8-20 gets me hbogo. Not a real hard decision to make. I think they would have to get it down (at least) to under 10 a month.

 

[The_Sheff]

Would be smart

Not really. Cable companies pay HBO a lot of money not to do this. They know that HBO is the reason a lot of subscribers havent cut the cord yet. They would have to charge a lot more than 10 bucks a month to make it worth it.

 

[Hacksaw Jim Thuggin]

its more or less free for me already

 

[Liquid]

It's inevitable

 

[beanz]

if it means bigger budgets for HBO shows then i am all for it. sucks that boardwalk empire is being ended early over money. also sucked when rome was cut early.

 

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

Real nikkas just gon continue to download it like always.

 

[methodz]

Considering Netflix charges, like 8$ for a shyt ton more content, I don't think HBO could get away with charging more like that 15-20$ a month being mentioned, I mean initially due to hype they might break bank but I can't see it lasting long.

 

[Ohene]

Not really. Cable companies pay HBO a lot of money not to do this. They know that HBO is the reason a lot of subscribers havent cut the cord yet. They would have to charge a lot more than 10 bucks a month to make it worth it.

this dude knows whats up