The day has finally arrived! Well, not technically, but it’s coming soon. I’m referring to the day that Time Warner subscribers who pay for HBO can access HBO’s digital-on-demand platform HBO Go. The website and app give HBO subscribers access to a plethora of movies and award winning original series. For months, Time Warner subscribers have been waiting for their cable provider to get on board with HBO Go and it’s been reported that the negotiations have finally settled.
According to Variety, after a year of negotiations, Time Warner Cable and HBO have finally struck a deal which will give Time Warner subscribers who have HBO access to the HBO Go app and website. Not only does HBO Go offer movies and TV shows to watch “free” on demand, but HBO has also used the platform as a way to give users advanced screenings of certain episodes of some of their beloved shows. For the HBO viewer who loves streaming content on their portable device or computer, HBO Go seems like a must-have.
Before you rushing off to HBO Go’s website to sign up, it doesn’t sound like this is something that will happen right away. In fact, Variety uses the words “within the next month” to describe the timeframe for when TWC customers will be able to access the app. In the meantime, at the very least, we know it’s coming.
As Variety points out, Cablevision is the last major MSO without a deal with HBO for this service. Hopefully TWC’s successful negotiations means it’s just a matter of time before Cablevision gets it as well.
Update: Per HBO's official announcement on the deal, it looks like all that's left to do is beta-test the service after which it will be made available to all TWC subscribers with HBO:
The companies will run a brief beta trial and then the service is expected to launch to all Time Warner Cable customers who subscribe to HBO in the next month. Time Warner Cable customers who subscribe to HBO and/or Cinemax will have free, unlimited access to the corresponding online services at any time, on any computer in the U.S. with a high-speed Internet connection, as well as a host of other devices, including the iPad®.
