Apple TV image via Niall Kennedy/Flickr
The imminent launch of HBO Now, HBO’s new subscription online service, may see consumer tech giant Apple and its Apple TV device be one of its launch partners. The two companies are in the midst of talks.
The decision to launch an online subscription for the Time Warner-owned channel comes as no surprise, given the prestige and success the channel currently holds with a long history of top-rated shows, including Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and The Wire.
However, according to The Guardian, more than 10m US broadband subscribers do not pay for access to cable TV. HBO feels it can plug this gap in the market by giving subscribers effectively open access to its various shows.
As part of the potential deal, HBO Now could be released on Apple TV first as part of exclusive rights that will eventually see other devices following suit, such as Roku, Amazon’s devices, PlayStation and Xbox.
If this is to come to fruition, it could prove to be a major boon for the Apple TV, which has not reached the heady heights of its sister devices, despite Apple’s persistence that it will one day become a dominant presence in people’s living rooms.
Despite being announced last October, HBO has yet to reveal a HBO Now release date, but many familiar with the service expect it to launch sometime prior to the start of the new season of Game of Thrones next month.
Also remaining an unknown is pricing for the service, but according to HBO’s CEO Richard Plepler, it will be priced at a premium rate.
“It’s a premium product and it will be priced accordingly.”
