A new report suggests that Apple and HBO are in talks to bring the service provider’s new Web-only channel to Apple TV. More details on the news can be found right after the break.
Aimed at those who do not currently have a cable subscription, the service that is rumored to be called HBO Now is currently pencilled in for an April launch according to reports, with the fifth season of Game of Thrones set to be one of its big launch events.
The move to a Web-only format gives anyone who likes to think of themselves as cable cutters a way to watch HBO without tying themselves to another company along the way. HBO’s current HBO Go service is available to anyone who currently received the company’s content via a cable provider, with the new HBO Now doing away with that restriction.
Apple TV customers already have access to HBO Go via the little black puck, so the possibility of Apple doing a deal that could see it be a launch partner for HBO Now is one that makes plenty of sense, especially considering the rumors which have Apple working to change the way television channels are sold and in turn, consumed.
HBO Now is said to cost around $15 per month, which is comparable with what HBO currently costs if taken alongside a cable subscription.
The move to launch HBO Now would make the company the first major player to launch a channel that is available as an online-only affair, and is one that will no doubt make the large cable companies a little concerned. The lock-in that is usually provided by offering channels such as HBO is one that has seen cable companies built into the companies they are today. Losing such a stronghold on customers is not something they will relish.
(Source: CNBC Now [Twitter]) (via: MacRumors)
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