HBO will offer stand alone streaming next year!! The fall of calble/dish is near

[stevestevens]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/15/hbo-streaming-service-go-web-2015_n_5989866.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

 

This is great news.  

[Tank]

"calble"

 

you letting one of the triplets type for you?

[TobiasFunke]

Game changer

[Brandon]

Regular cable isn't going anywhere because of sports.

[DB24]

Nice....I only watch HBO shows, on my X-box HBO-Go account anyways.

[HaloCory22]

Awesome news.

[Lhalo]

Finally.

[stevestevens]

Regular cable isn't going anywhere because of sports.

 

If HBO starts making a lot of money of this, then other suitors will follow.  

 

I watch all my baseball by streaming.  If Disney decides to offer an ESPN package for $10 bucks a months and NBC (golf channel) offers a sports pack for $5/month, I will jump at that in heartbeat.  

[Schildog]

shit the only reason i can't cut the cord is because of nbc sports. 

[Brandon]

If HBO starts making a lot of money of this, then other suitors will follow.

I watch all my baseball by streaming. If Disney decides to offer an ESPN package for $10 bucks a months and NBC (golf channel) offers a sports pack for $5/month, I will jump at that in heartbeat.

People said the same thing with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc.

All are making money.

What you're saying is ideal but shit like Viacom are going to hold onto those sports contracts and teams are also going to keep pushing for their own networks.

[nate]

Meh, still not satellite quality.  Not to mention the annoyances with internet speeds in the US.

 

When watching Hockey/MLB online I get really irritated when it buffers.

[Jay]

I wouldn't mind seeing cable/dish prices go down as a result of competition.  Doubtful they're going away entirely though.

[Brandon]

I wouldn't mind seeing cable/dish prices go down as a result of competition. Doubtful they're going away entirely though.

This is ideal and what I think/hope happens.

[DowningRules]

This is a game changer.  Where Netflix and hulu were once competing with HBO and cable and satellite, now, HBO needs to compete with the streaming services.  The writing is on the wall:  cable and satellite subscriptions are gradually receding.  Small percentages, but the subscriber numbers have gone down for consecutive years now.  I'm a home viewing dinosaur and I cut the cord a year ago.  Wait until the younger generation(s) start paying for home entertainment in mass numbers...then the numbers will really decline.

 

Of the new subscribers to cable/satellite, a larger number are signing up for the most basic packages which don't include the premiums (HBO) or ESPN.  These types of outlets are where the providers make their biggest profits.  So, they are seeing the trouble ahead if they don't make changes.  HBO is the leader in this field so I am certain that Showtime and the others will follow which will lead to their affiliated channels being available too, eventually. 

 

And with regards to sports, the current model will not last.  ESPN is one of the most expensive channels for the carriers, at about $6 per subscriber.  That is a crazy number considering how easy it is to live without ESPN and that not everyone in a household (ie: the woman of the house who is the one typically deciding what bills get paid) watches sports, or at least, the sports covered by the ESPN channels.  Who wants to meet up to watch the next WNBA game!?!?!?!

[nate]

This has nothing to do with HBO needing to compete, this has everything to do with HBO knowing there is a market that can make them more money.

[Schildog]

This has nothing to do with HBO needing to compete, this has everything to do with HBO knowing there is a market that can make them more money.

 

i'll be in your time zone soon enough... how bad does mlb tv and nhl tv mess with your sleep?

[DowningRules]

This has nothing to do with HBO needing to compete, this has everything to do with HBO knowing there is a market that can make them more money.

 

Because the competition made it so.

[nate]

Because the competition made it so.

 

...

 

Before HBO had a market of only cable subscribers.  Now they have the whole internet.  The only reason they hadn't done it earlier was because of their contracts negotiated with cable providers.

[Brandon]

This is a game changer.  Where Netflix and hulu were once competing with HBO and cable and satellite, now, HBO needs to compete with the streaming services.  The writing is on the wall:  cable and satellite subscriptions are gradually receding.  Small percentages, but the subscriber numbers have gone down for consecutive years now.  I'm a home viewing dinosaur and I cut the cord a year ago.  Wait until the younger generation(s) start paying for home entertainment in mass numbers...then the numbers will really decline.

 

Of the new subscribers to cable/satellite, a larger number are signing up for the most basic packages which don't include the premiums (HBO) or ESPN.  These types of outlets are where the providers make their biggest profits.  So, they are seeing the trouble ahead if they don't make changes.  HBO is the leader in this field so I am certain that Showtime and the others will follow which will lead to their affiliated channels being available too, eventually. 

 

And with regards to sports, the current model will not last.  ESPN is one of the most expensive channels for the carriers, at about $6 per subscriber.  That is a crazy number considering how easy it is to live without ESPN and that not everyone in a household (ie: the woman of the house who is the one typically deciding what bills get paid) watches sports, or at least, the sports covered by the ESPN channels.  Who wants to meet up to watch the next WNBA game!?!?!?!

 

 

whoa

 

Unfortunately ESPN has a bit more going for them like Monday Night Football, NBA, MLB, College ball, soccer, etc. Agreed though on the WNBA. What trips me out is I can't fathom it doing well, but it's been on the network for a long time. I get they show it during times where something better is on, but it's like the NBA gives a subsidy to ESPN to show it.

[nate]

i'll be in your time zone soon enough... how bad does mlb tv and nhl tv mess with your sleep?

 

I have the DirecTV packages because I am annoyed with the streaming.  I know that has no relevance to your question.

 

It sucks.  West coast baseball games go past midnight pretty regularly -- starting at 9PM.  UCLA football games can easily go past midnight as well.  NHL games are usually only 2.5 hours so they finish around 11:30-12.

 

I get up at 6:30 every day so I usually go to bed before the end of the baseball games.

[Brandon]

I'm guessing it's just going to be HBO Go, but really hope they beef up the movie selections. They have had the same shit on there for awhile now with mildly integrating a new movie or two that sucks.

 

I know they are tied to a studio or two, so it would be sweet if they just had a crazy library of movies.

 

They also own Showtime or Cinemax, I forget. Wonder what this does to that channel. 

[nate]

I just don't get it.  Aside from network TV, there is discovery/history/FX/etc.  Without Cable the only way you get a lot of those shows is either after the season is over when it comes out on Netflix/DVD or by pirating it.

 

Not to mention sports in your region are blacked out.

[Brandon]

Would be sweet if everything went a la carte, but I don't think a lot of networks could survive on their own.

 

I think the FCC wants to cut the blackout rules, but the NFL is standing pretty pat on that one.

[Schildog]

Would be sweet if everything went a la carte, but I don't think a lot of networks could survive on their own.

 

I think the FCC wants to cut the blackout rules, but the NFL is standing pretty pat on that one.

 

i could have sworn i saw something a couple of weeks ago that a court sided against the nfl and blackout rules.

[Brandon]

I don't think it was court mandated, just that the FCC was against them. The NFL said something about staying firm with their business model.

 

I could be wrong. I think someone posted the link here a while back.