FACT#97: It seems that the raven has finally made its way to HBO-and we're betting Game Of Thrones fans couldn't be happier.
At the Time Warner Inc. Investor Meeting today, Richard Plepler, chairman and CEO, announced that HBO will offer stand-alone streaming service starting in 2015. This is relatively big news for a company that, thus far, has only made their content available by paying for package subscriptions or premium cable.
It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO," Plepler said. "So, in 2015, we will launch a stand-alone, over-the-top, HBO service in the United States. We will work with our current partners. And, we will explore models with new partners. All in, there are 80 million homes that do not have HBO and we will use all means at our disposal to go after them."
Maybe this means that the Internet won't have another epic breakdown when Game Of Thrones premieres next year, since there are likely to be less people pirating their friends and family's HBOGo accounts. Then again, one should never underestimate the power of George R.R. Martin...
Update: The Verge went through HBO public statements about streaming over the past five years and I think it's a pretty good read.
