HBO to Offer Stand-Alone Streaming Service (Update: CBS wants in too)

[_MJ_]

 

Shit, between annual subscriptions to Amazon Prime and Crunchyroll, and monthly for Netflix and Hulu, they're already adding up for me.

 

Don't worry, if other companies follow HBO and CBS's lead, eventually there won't BE a Netflix or Hulu.  Why charge a middle-man when you can do it yourself?

 

I wonder if this concern was part of the reason why Netflix started developing their own series.   Their movie catalog helps them too.  I don't know about Hulu.  It's owned by FOX, NBC, and Disney/ABC so I'm sure they could bail on it when(or if) they think the time is right.

[Burgundy LaRue]

I wonder how this will impact those classic broadcast TV networks such as MeTV, CoziTV, etc.  Will the Big 3 pull their shows off those networks once they get into streaming, or are the shows too old to worry about them?

[piranesi]

I wonder how this will impact those classic broadcast TV networks such as MeTV, CoziTV, etc.  Will the Big 3 pull their shows off those networks once they get into streaming, or are the shows too old to worry about them?

 

I will destroy everything on earth.  FETV just started running FANTASY ISLAND...not the Malcolm MacDowell one, neither if that's what you're thinking!

[glfpunk]

Like others have said, I'd just be concerned about all the subscription fees adding up.  I'm just trying to envision a scenario that works out to the advantage of the consumer.  At a glance you would think Hulu would die if cbs/fox/abc/nbc started offering their own services but if each one of those was $5.99 it would be hard to justify paying for them over Hulu unless you just had to have the content. 

 

It looks to me like you could end up in the very near future with major stuff like the big 4 stations, HBO, and then like Netflix and Amazon Prime or another equivalent and be looking at close to $50 a month which seems like a lot of money considering the content that you get and the lack of live television and the gazillion other stations that have great content like AMC, FX, ESPN, etc.  Not to mention stuff like whole home DVR and on-demand. 

[Niners Fan in CT]

Right now I'm doing Netflix and WWE Network. I would consider HBO. I'm not sure about the rest..  Live sports is more important to me.

[piranesi]

I'm not looking forward to having to remember which distributor owns which intellectual property so I know whether I want to subscribe to SONY ENTERTAINMENT TOTAL! or FOX FOREVER!!! or VIACOM SUPER CHOICE!!!!

 

"Wait, who owns Paramount again?  I have all of MGM, but I don't have access to anything by Warner! Darn."

 

Worse would be if the record labels start doing this.  "I'm a BMG guy!  Really?  I prefer EMI's stock."

[sydneybrown]

I wonder how this will impact those classic broadcast TV networks such as MeTV, CoziTV, etc.  Will the Big 3 pull their shows off those networks once they get into streaming, or are the shows too old to worry about them?

 

I don't see why they would.  Those networks are paying for the rights to air them.  Its essentially free money for the studios.

[Burgundy LaRue]

I think Cozi is owned by NBCUniversal, and airs only NBC content, so that one would be fine.  Not sure about the ownership for the others.