HBO GO - the 'TV Everywhere' expression of HBO - has expanded its streaming library from 600 to 1,400 titles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this would bring most of HBO's programming inventory to the HBO GO service, including entire seasons of definitive HBO series including The Sopranos, Entourage, Sex and the City, and True Blood, not to mention its inventory of highly-prized movies and documentaries. Among those not onboard the deal is The Larry Sanders Show, for which HBO does not own the distribution rights.
HBO GO is now emerging as a quantum media delivery company par excellence, as it combines linear assets with on-demand access across a widening variety of net-connected platforms. The control point in this equation is, of course, the PayTV operator, which resells HBO content for a premium, a portion of which is then paid to HBO. If a consumer chooses not to subscribe to HBO through a licensed PayTV provider, HBO GO is a no-go. The buck stops with the PayTV operator, precisely where most incumbents would like it to remain: with the cable, satellite, or telcoTV provider.
As well, privately-held cable company Cox Communications signed on the growing list of HBO GO distributors, which includes Xfinity TV, Verizon FiOS, and AT&T U-Verse.
Reuters reported that HBO GO is positioned as a "direct strike" against Netflix, which continues to gain in subscribers and streamers as HBO's "premium TV" revenue appears to be stalling.
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