HBO

Popcorn Time, Netflix, HBO and the future of digital media

This story about a U.K. court ordering Popcorn Time blocked has been knocking around in my brain for a couple of days now. When stuff knocks around in my head for days, chances are it will end up in written form, right here. So here we go.

HBO without cable confirmed for April 2015

HBO without cable confirmed for April 2015Finally, although HBO’s decision to use MLB Advanced Media instead of HBO’s own streaming tech prompted CTO and former Xbox executive Otto Berkes to resign.

HBO without cable coming in 2015

HBO without cable coming in 2015Peter Kafka reports at Recode: [HBO CEO Richard] Plepler said the company will go “beyond the wall” and launch a “stand alone, over the top” version of HBO in the US next year, and would work with “current partners,” and may work with others as well. But he wouldn’t …

HBO exec laments piracy of low-quality editions of 'Game of Thrones'

HBO exec laments piracy of low-quality editions of ‘Game of Thrones’HBO programming president Michael Lombardo, speaking to Entertainment Weekly's James Hibberd: The production values of this show are so incredible. So I’m hoping that in the purloined different generation of cuts that …

HBO CEO wants to bundle HBO GO with your internet subscription

HBO CEO wants to bundle HBO GO with your internet subscriptionThis is progress, although MG Siegler is right to doubt whether cable companies, many of whom are also internet service providers, would even consider such a deal. At least HBO recognizes that the math won’t hold up against a la carte …

"The Math"

“The Math”Once again, MG Siegler nails it on HBO’s missed opportunity for direct-subscription innovation. Most companies are so desperate to maintain anything close to an upward slant in revenue year-over-year that they never even know opportunities like this one exist. The worst part of …

Pirates of Westeros: the untapped half-billion dollar market for Game of Thrones

Ernesto at TorrentFreak:

It’s clear that HBO (and others) prefer exclusiveness over piracy, which is a dangerous game. They might make decent money in the long run by selling subscriptions. However, this limited availability also breeds pirates, and one has to wonder how easy it is to convert …