Cablevision to offer standalone HBO Now service to online subscribers

Okay, so it ends up that HBO’s “exclusive” deal to offer its game-changing HBO Now service through Apple products might not be so exclusive after all.

First, we got the news that the Apple deal would only last for three months, after which anyone could get HBO Now through whatever service they already owned. The problem was that those three months just happened to include the months during which HBO would be airing the new season of Game of Thrones, and if history has taught us anything, it’s that Game of Thrones fans were not willing to wait to see what happened on their favorite show. Fans who didn’t already own an Apple TV were thus faced with a dilemma: did they adopt Apple products so they could take advantage of the new, affordable HBO Now service, keep their bloated cable package, or just go the traditional route and steal someone else’s HBO Go password?

Well, a few of them won’t have to make that choice. It seems that the Apple deal only applies to digital-only services. Traditional pay TV services could still provide access to HBO Now if they wanted to, but it’s assumed that big companies like Comcast and Verizon would refuse, since that would require them to refrain from forcing customers to buy a bunch of superfluous content they didn’t want, and that certainly couldn’t happen. Cable company Cablevision, however, has broken rank. According to a press release, HBO has entered into an agreement that will allow Cablevision to make HBO Now available to subscribers through its Optimum Online service, even if those subscribers may cut the cable cord.

“We are well-positioned to support HBO Now and, as technology advances, Cablevision will continue to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” said Cablevision COO Kristin Dolan.

Cablevision services about 3 million people in the greater New York metropolitan area, so this announcement won’t be of much help to a lot of fans. Still, the company deserves credit for being the first major cable company to recognize which way the wind is blowing and take action. Giants like Comcast, fearful that standalone services like HBO Now represent a threat to the way they do business, may hold out for a while (or maybe they’ll quickly get on board—prove me wrong, Comcast), but it’s unlikely they can do it forever when there are so many better options out there.

HBO Now will launch in advance of Game of Thrones fifth season premiere on April 12.

• Published on 03/16/2015 at 5:37 PM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 1:06 PM CDT