Michael Learmonth, writing for International Business Times, says HBO and Apple are in talks that would being HBO to the Apple TV as a stand alone $15 per month streaming package.
CNBC has also tweeted that Apple and HBO are in talks, seen in the video tweet below.
BREAKING: Sources tell @JBoorstin that Apple & HBO are in talks for Apple TV to be a launch partner for 'HBO Now'.https://t.co/hQd9AzA3Xr
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) March 4, 2015
News of HBO’s web-only streaming service, called “HBO Now,” first surfaced in October of 2014, when HBO CEO Richard Plepler shared his company’s plans during a presentation to investors.
The service would allow users to access HBO content without a cable subscription, instead paying a set monthly fee to HBO. The cable network would then become the first major premium content provider to offer its content outside of its normal cable and satellite customers.
Learmouth reports the HBO web-only subscription, would launch in April, just in time for the fifth season premiere of the network’s popular Game of Thrones series on April 12.
The service would run $15 per month, comparable to the amount it costs to subscribe via a cable or satellite provider.
Currently, authorized HBO cable or satellite subscribers can view the HBO Go on demand service via the Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad devices.
A service such as this would be a major boon to “cord cutters,” viewers who are attempting to move away from expensive cable and satellite subscriptions for their television and movie viewing.
Content providers have in the past been reluctant to offer their product directly to viewers, in order to avoid upsetting existing revenue streams from cable and satellite providers. That reluctance is believed to have delayed Apple’s previous plans for establishing its own streaming service to provide content such as HBO’s.
