Report: HBO's Streaming Service Coming In April, Apple May Be Partner

HBO is getting into streaming, that much we already knew. The company already announced they'd be ditching the need for cable, and offer a streaming-only option for cord cutters. We also knew it was tentatively set for debut alongside season five of Game of Thrones. Now, we're getting word HBO is planning to call this service HBO Now, with the service again said to launch in time for Game of Thrones. We're also hearing HBO is entertaining the idea of launch partners, most notably Apple.

According to International Business Times, Apple has been aggressively courting HBO in an attempt to bring HBO Now to Apple TV. The same report notes HBO also wants their service to be made available for Roku, Xbox, and PlayStation, but it's currently unclear if HBO is gauging interest from additional launch partners to compliment Apple TV.

The service from HBO is also said to cost $15/month. For cord cutters, the cost is incomparable. For existing cable subscribers, going through your cable company just might be cheaper.

It's worth note that HBO Go saw plenty of outages, especially under heavy load — mostly due to Game of Thrones streaming. HBO has reportedly gone a different direction for HBO Now, so those outages and various other streaming issues many encountered might just be a thing of the past.

We have to wonder if Apple is simply sourcing a partner that will make Apple TV desirable, or if they may be working on a new-look Apple TV, which many have suspected is inbound. It's also worth pondering if HBO Now would come to mobile devices. The report only suggests this new service will be made available to streaming devices with their own UI. That would leave Chromecast users wanting.

Source: International Business Times