Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
With CBS All Access and Sling TV, we are truly on the cusp of living in a cord cutters’ paradise. The last big missing piece? HBO has yet to fully cut its own ties to the traditional cable model. HBO Go is still tied to cable subscription packages, but the rumor is that won’t be for much longer. In fact, it’s been reported that HBO is in talks with Apple to launch HBO Now, its stand alone streaming service, next month when season five of Game of Thrones premieres.
It’s no secret that HBO Now has been in the works for a while, but it looks closer than ever. The precise rumor coming out now is that HBO wants HBO Now live when Game of Thrones returns on April 12 and that Apple TV will be the new service’s launch partner. Of course, HBO Now will eventually (or immediately) make its way to Roku, Xbox, and PlayStation, but the first push will be with Apple. The service will cost an estimated $15 a month, which makes it pricier than Netflix and Hulu.
There are some concerns, though. Namely, can the service be finished in time for a successful launch. The time table is tight and HBO has faced numerous complaints about the efficacy of HBO Go during major premiere and finale nights. Speaking of HBO Go, there’s the practical concern that customers will confuse the two. For reference: HBO Go is a bonus to your cable subscription and means you can stream content on your streaming or mobile devices and HBO Now is a subscription based streaming service that you do not need a cable contract for.
Time will tell if we’ll get HBO Now sooner rather than later. At the very least, we’ll finally find out what’s going on with Jon, Tyrion, Arya, and Dany on April 12 when Game of Thrones finally comes back. [Where to Stream Game of Thrones]
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