HBO And CBS To Offer Streaming Services
To the delight of HBO-less “Game of Thrones” fans everywhere, Time Warner has announced that HBO will begin offering a streaming video service in 2015. Unlike the current version of HBO Go, which requires a subscription, the new service won’t require a cable or satellite subscription, according to the Washington Post.
Although HBO CEO Richard Plepler did not divulge any details regarding how much the streaming service would cost or what shows it would offer, he did say that it would be available in the U.S. and two other countries before expanding worldwide.
It’s time to remove the barriers to those that want HBO,” Plepler said during the HBO portion of the Time Warner Inc Investor Meeting in New York. According to Time Warner’s press release, Plepler also noted that there are 80 million U.S. homes that don’t have HBO; “we will use all measures to go after them,” Plepler stated during the meeting, where we like to imagine that he intimidated investors by waving around a sword while in costume as Stannis Baratheon.
In related although somewhat less exciting news, CBS has also revealed that it, too, will soon offer a streaming service. The CBS All Access service will allow viewers access to both current and classic content, as well as live streaming of local CBS stations in 14 markets for $5.99 a month, according to a recent press release from the CBS Corporation.
Not only will subscribers have access to full seasons of current primetime shows, they will also be able to watch thousands of classic episodes of CBS shows. New episodes will be available the day after they air on TV, says CBS; the service itself will be accessible through the CBS for iOS app. So if you’ve ever wished that your favorite CBS shows were streaming almost continuously in a never-ending flood of “NCIS,” “MacGyver” and “Cheers,” it looks like today is your lucky day!
