Apple in Talks to Bring HBO Go to the Apple TV

Great benefit to current cable subscribers, but just another app icon to waste precious screen space on my TV if I can't access it. The ability to delete icons off my Apple TV screen would be a huge plus; or, let me buy a subscription to HBO Go independent of cable.

----------

NCWildcat said:

If there was a viable sports option on the Apple TV, I think I'd be ready to cut the cable. Or if Time Warner would just let Apple TV be my cable box so I wouldn't have to navigate their terrible interface and deal with that damn Cisco box freezing all the time.

Click to expand...

Completely agree. Time Warner's cable box is the worst. I just recently switched to TiVO since I could no longer take the lousy interface and dropped recordings, and because I got tired of waiting on Apple's move into the television market. It's a great improvement, but I'll drop TiVO like a hot potato as soon as something even better comes along.

HBO is the tip of the iceberg.

Also I've started to sort of understand how this concept > drawing board > plastic model > test > production cycle goes. The guys in Cupertino have really good minds and decoding the Steve Jobs book of secrets is hard to do. Especially when you have to add in the massive supply chain that Jobs hired Cook to run.

Apple has even started to highlight iTunes revenue more than they did in the past. Why ?

Because iTunes has become a huge VOD service. The biggest. They rule the roost serving up 49 % of all online media sold. They have been the testbed for many media companies.They started with music and now they are even hosting competing companies in Netflix and Hulu Plus.

It just takes one or two big players to get the ball rolling. And once that ball is rolling we will see that massive supply chain churn out the next new thing for others to emulate .

If this requires a cable subscription, it's borderline useless, and completely wrong direction for Apple to take. They should be enabling cutting the cord, not strengthening.

klrobinson999 said:

Great benefit to current cable subscribers, but just another app icon to waste precious screen space on my TV if I can't access it.

Click to expand...

Settings > Parental Controls > Scroll down to the list of "apps" : you can choose to hide the icons you don't use. (all except the top row)

Swift said:

If they can get HBO out of their being locked tight to the cable providers -- HBO Go only works if you get HBO on cable already -- and get them to offer independent subscription to the Apple TV, that's the first solid blow against cable. They problably want to do it, but they don't dare.

Meanwhile, a Netflix exec said, "We've got to get to being HBO before HBO gets to be Netflix." That's the race.

Click to expand...

Thats how HBO Nordic works in Scandinavia. In fact, you cant even get the TV channel here. Dont really know how it compares content wise but their own shows are availiable just after its been aired.

iRCL said:

This is so lackluster. Seriously who cares about TV

Click to expand...

Considering we are in a golden age of quality television, a lot of people.

The amount of quality television today is absolutely staggering.

Why not just open up a damn SDK instead of wasting time and money going one by one? Let the companies decide on their own what to offer.

Awesome.

Bring on the NFL and apps and we're almost there.

sulpfiction said:

Ur statement makes no sense. Obviously if u don't have HBO, HBO go would be "pointless" That's like me saying heated mirrors on a Ferrari are pointless for those of us that don't have Ferrari's.

I have HBO, therefore HBO Go is awesome for me. And Apple TV incorporating it is even more awesome.

Click to expand...

This post is why cable/sat sucks. Why don't you people wake up?

Yay for Australia!

How about apple forces some of those content providers to get their ***** together and make things like Hulu and Netflix in Australia and other countries available... until then there is very little reason to get an apple TV in our counties.

(don't get me wrong, i have an appletv and love it, but i would love it even more if there was actually some content for it here.)

JAT said:

This post is why cable/sat sucks. Why don't you people wake up?

Click to expand...

Why don't people understand that Apple is so far behind in attracting live sports that it makes the Apple TV as a cable replacement completely impossible.

Apple TV seriously needs to add Fox Sports Southwest, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, CBS, ABC, Fox, FX, MLB Network, and NFL Network for me to cut the cord.

flux73 said:

Not if Apple subsidizes the changeover. I could see Tim Cook promising to cover any lost revenues in cable subscribers with the subsidies decreasing as the revenues from Apple TV viewers ramp up. This way, they remove all risk from HBO. There's nothing for them to lose, and a MUCH broader audience to access.

The only sticking point I worry about is that HBO is owned by Time Warner Cable. So Apple may have to up the ante by subsidizing lost cable revenue as well. Either way, this shouldn't be a problem with Apple's piggy bank.

Click to expand...

Time Warner HBO and time Warner cable are 2 diffrent company

canman4PM said:

This would be exciting, except I already get HBO on my TV...

...by turning on my TV and cable box.

Click to expand...

You don't understand what HBOGO is then. But since you are a HBO subscriber you get if for free anyway. HBOGO is like HBO on Demand on steroids.

Just go to http://www.hbogo.com and login with your cable subscriber account. Or download the app from the app store.

At this moment HBOGO has something like 261 Movies, 43 complete series, 43 comedy programs, 85 sports programs, 95 documentaries and 25 Late Night (adult) shows that you can immediately stream either on the web or on your device (iPad etc...) anywhere. HBOGO also has extras for series like Game of Thrones, Boardwalk empire like behind the scenes, interviews and interactive features.

Ballis said:

Thats how HBO Nordic works in Scandinavia. In fact, you cant even get the TV channel here. Dont really know how it compares content wise but their own shows are availiable just after its been aired.

Click to expand...

This exactly. In Denmark we just got "HBO Nordic" which is a direct competitor to Netflix streaming subscription. We have no HBO through cable companies.
"HBO Nordic" is already working on AirPlay compatibilies for their iPhone/iPad App, so an AppleTV 'App' would make a lot of sense.

Screw HBO where's by BBC iPlayer

Don't get this

HBO Go requires an HBO subscription. HBO sub means you are likely watching it on your TV. Apple TV connects to your TV...

What's the benefit?

HobeSoundDarryl said:

Netflix won't stay at $8 as other large Studio deals come up for renewal. Remember Starzz? That was just the beginning. As soon as Netflix begins to raise the price, Hulu will follow.

And HBO alone is already at a price almost 2X the cost of Netflix now. That's where this goes.

Click to expand...

HBO gives right around half its revenue to cable subscribers.

Frisco said:

Nobody watches HBO since the Sopranos ended.

Click to expand...

I have not even turned on hbo after the sopranos wire and entourage

Ricanlegend said:

Time Warner HBO and time Warner cable are 2 diffrent company

Click to expand...

I don't know they're corporate structure, but HBO is either owned as an asset or a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner. It is actually Time Warner's most valuable asset today. Whether they're actually an asset or two different companies is purely academic for these purposes.

Dr. Scott said:

Screw HBO. Where's the damn Safari?

Click to expand...

do you really want to browse the web on your tv? this baffles me.

The only benefit for this would be if you were taking your appleTV to someone's house who does not have HBO.....otherwise I would just watch it on my TV unless there is more content offered.

M-O said:

do you really want to browse the web on your tv? this baffles me.

Click to expand...

Teh pr0nz?

spacedcadet said:

HBO Go requires an HBO subscription. HBO sub means you are likely watching it on your TV. Apple TV connects to your TV...

What's the benefit?

Click to expand...

The benefit is that I can watch HBO's content on my schedule, not HBO's. And it's a lot easier than recording something on HBO to watch later.

bushido said:

tunein radio & spotify would be pretty neat as well

Click to expand...

spotify would be so sweet

This sounds like the best we're gonna get

Listen, folks. Deals like this are the best we can expect. No one is disintermediating the cable companies. NOT HAPPENING. They're all making a lot of money and funding all the good shows. They're happy and the shows' creators are happy. If Apple can't simply get channels to make apps, then everyone stays happy. No "a la carte" – but that wasn't going to happen anyway. It's like asking for a flying car; the "physics" of money and the way the world works won't allow it. What we do get with deals like this is the cable companies continuing to make money, funding all the great shows that people like to watch. People continuing to pay for cable packages, but being able to upgrade their cable box to an App based Apple TV box. Searchable, live options, catching up to previous shows, etc. You just get more out of each cable channel in the package you're already paying for.