3 ms·

"HBO Go requires a cable subscription" If I was an HBO shareholder I'd laugh while I sold.

wvenable 14y ago
HBO is bound by all kinds of license agreements to the cable providers and that is their bread and butter. They simply cannot provide Internet purchasing of their content. You don't really know what the CEO actually believes because saying the Internet is a fad plays directly into his market (the cable companies). At this point in time, it might make more economic sense for HBO to ignore the Internet. Although, I certainly hope they're planning for the future. And if they are, it would still be foolish to let the cable companies know that.
- felipemnoa 14y ago
  >>You don't really know what the CEO actually believes because saying the Internet is a fad plays directly into his market (the cable companies). I'm willing to bet that he actually believes this.
  - gibybo 14y ago
    I just can't imagine how he could. I can understand him saying this because it makes a lot of business sense considering the company's position, but someone so involved in content delivery cannot possibly believe internet delivery is just a fad. They invested in HBO Go ahead of many of their rivals, so it seems like they actually understand the future, they are just afraid to talk about it now because the rest of the world isn't ready.
- pwthornton 14y ago
  As long as HBO remains owned by a cable company, I expect them to hold onto their current practices long after it makes economic sense.
  - gte910h 14y ago
    They're not. They're owned by a media company named something similar to a cable company.
scelerat 14y ago
My reaction as well. Will the Tv and movie studios learn from the lesson of Napster and iTunes? With stories like these, it doesn't seem likely. The studios should be hiring engineers and UI folk; not lawyers. Time Warner should buy the Pirate Bay and charge a subscription or download fee while improving the UI. Or simply offer downloads on their website. College sophomores figured out the distribution model fifteen years ago. This is silly.

HBO is bound by all kinds of license agreements to the cable providers and that is their bread and butter. They simply cannot provide Internet purchasing of their content. You don't really know what the CEO actually believes because saying the Internet is a fad plays directly into his market (the cable companies). At this point in time, it might make more economic sense for HBO to ignore the Internet. Although, I certainly hope they're planning for the future. And if they are, it would still be foolish to let the cable companies know that.

felipemnoa 14y ago
>>You don't really know what the CEO actually believes because saying the Internet is a fad plays directly into his market (the cable companies). I'm willing to bet that he actually believes this.
- gibybo 14y ago
  I just can't imagine how he could. I can understand him saying this because it makes a lot of business sense considering the company's position, but someone so involved in content delivery cannot possibly believe internet delivery is just a fad. They invested in HBO Go ahead of many of their rivals, so it seems like they actually understand the future, they are just afraid to talk about it now because the rest of the world isn't ready.
pwthornton 14y ago
As long as HBO remains owned by a cable company, I expect them to hold onto their current practices long after it makes economic sense.
- gte910h 14y ago
  They're not. They're owned by a media company named something similar to a cable company.

scelerat 14y ago

My reaction as well. Will the Tv and movie studios learn from the lesson of Napster and iTunes? With stories like these, it doesn't seem likely. The studios should be hiring engineers and UI folk; not lawyers. Time Warner should buy the Pirate Bay and charge a subscription or download fee while improving the UI. Or simply offer downloads on their website. College sophomores figured out the distribution model fifteen years ago. This is silly.