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I couldn't agree more, as both a fan of HBO's content and a curious observer of its evolving business model. For awhile there, it seemed as if HBO was making g

I couldn't agree more, as both a fan of HBO's content and a curious observer of its evolving business model. For awhile there, it seemed as if HBO was making great strides in decoupling itself from the traditional cable model. HBO GO is a great app, and its launch represented an intriguing challenge to the status quo of the analog and digital content ecosystems. We should keep in mind, however, that HBO is owned by Time Warner -- a company with plenty of vested interests in the status quo, not to mention a number of other cable and broadcast channels (CNN, Cartoon Network, CW, etc.) whose existence as discrete networks would be (in its view) threatened by overly disruptive maneuvers by one of its subsidiaries. Furthermore, HBO's bread is buttered by the big cable providers. It makes the majority of its revenue from licensing fees to the likes of Comcast, Time Warner Cable (not presently owned by Time Warner, fwiw), AT&T, and the others. Ultimately, I get the impression that HBO -- were it an independent business entity -- would be acting more aggressively to move away from the status quo. It seems to realize that it's aboard a slowly sinking ship. Unfortunately, it happens to be an officer of that ship's crew.

Gmo 15y ago
The weird is that they project this model in Europe as well, whereas they are not as tight to broadcasters here. The other day, there was an ad on TV for HBO Go. I was like "wow, finally, HBO in Europe (in the Netherlands in this case), AND with an app?!" So I went directly to my computer to look at the details with the firm intention to subscribe if it'd be a reasonable price (let's say 15 euros per month). So I go on their website and what do I see ? To get the app, you need to subscribe to their cable channels. But wait ? I just want the streaming, I don't care about their channels (particularly because I am in a shared apartment). But I thought "OK, let's see how much they cost", so I go to the next page, and what do I see ? HBO is only available on Zyggo. No way to get them with any other provider. And I'm sure not gonna switch providers, a lot of hassle in the first place, but even more in this case since it's a shared apartment and all. Conclusion : they lost one customer, and probably more, because I have plenty of friends here that watch a lot of HBO shows, usually illegally acquired, because otherwise you get to see them 1 year later, that would probably have paid for it as well. Way to go HBO !
- ktizo 15y ago
  I want to be able to send a text off a prepay phone that enables HBO content on a networked device. This is technology that already exists for machines that sell packets of crisps, and last time I checked, running a tv company was at least as technical an endeavour as crisp manufacture, so it isn't as though they can claim not to have the skill to do this.

Gmo 15y ago

The weird is that they project this model in Europe as well, whereas they are not as tight to broadcasters here. The other day, there was an ad on TV for HBO Go. I was like "wow, finally, HBO in Europe (in the Netherlands in this case), AND with an app?!" So I went directly to my computer to look at the details with the firm intention to subscribe if it'd be a reasonable price (let's say 15 euros per month). So I go on their website and what do I see ? To get the app, you need to subscribe to their cable channels. But wait ? I just want the streaming, I don't care about their channels (particularly because I am in a shared apartment). But I thought "OK, let's see how much they cost", so I go to the next page, and what do I see ? HBO is only available on Zyggo. No way to get them with any other provider. And I'm sure not gonna switch providers, a lot of hassle in the first place, but even more in this case since it's a shared apartment and all. Conclusion : they lost one customer, and probably more, because I have plenty of friends here that watch a lot of HBO shows, usually illegally acquired, because otherwise you get to see them 1 year later, that would probably have paid for it as well. Way to go HBO !

ktizo 15y ago
I want to be able to send a text off a prepay phone that enables HBO content on a networked device. This is technology that already exists for machines that sell packets of crisps, and last time I checked, running a tv company was at least as technical an endeavour as crisp manufacture, so it isn't as though they can claim not to have the skill to do this.