HBO Going Bottom-up (Conspiracy of Consumer Demand)

The future of television is going to be bottom-up.

HBO announced its standalone video streaming
service this week, called HBO Now.

21stcenturywire.com...

HBO’s step towards independence from cable could be a fatal blow to big companies like Comcast, Dish, Direct, Time/Warner etcetera.

HBO will soon, in time for fans of Game of Thrones season five opening on April 17, offer a standalone subscription for it’s content that can be accessed through streaming devices like Apple TV, Roku, Xbox and Playstation. ESPN also recently announced similar plans.
That means that people will not have to pay the usually $100 plus monthly fees to cable giants...

The battle for media and entertainment’s business
model is definitely a Game of Thrones, and the new
king is now the consumer.

a reply to: wasaka

Am I the only one who associates 'bottom up' with a ship capsizing and thus a company failing? I know that's not what the OP intended but it got me wondering.
It's really not surprising to see HBO making this move, but I don't think it's going to have the impact on cable subcribers that analysts are predicting. Most of the people I know can't even be convinced to drop their $35 basic cable plan for Netflix (which definitely has a better selection than basic cable)

I understand why they have finally made this choice. When they decide to stream by themselves I will think of buying but never, never, will I give Apple any of my business. I don't think it will be bad for cable...yet anyhow. I know too many people who consider their high cable bills some sort of status symbol.

I wish cable companies did this. I would love to just buy five or six television channels at a few dollars a piece, I miss regular news, sy-fy channel, etc... but I will never pay full price for cable again when we watch only a very small percentage of what we pay for.

For now I have Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. I feel sometimes like that is even too much too watch but even for all three the bills are cheap and aside from a couple mid show on Hulu, I love the lack of advertising.

originally posted by: brandiwine14
When they decide to stream by themselves I will think of buying but never, never, will I give Apple any of my business.

Roku is the best option.

Roku introduced the first streaming video player in 2008, in partnership with Netflix. In the first two years nearly a million units have been sold in the US, and there are now over 2,000+ channels available in the Roku Channel Store. Roku is the most affordable product for consumers looking to stream video over the Internet to their TV, and the most open for developers and content owners looking to reach new audiences.

For content owners or distributors, Roku represents a very cost-effective means to deliver their content to a rapidly increasing number of households. Roku has relationships with leading Online Video Platforms and development partners to further simplify bringing your content to Roku.

An open platform, Roku's Streaming Player enables content owners to bypass traditional distribution routes and reach views and consumers directly. Roku's platform allows a wide variety of channels and monetization options.

Even Alex Jones has his own Roku channel, HBO Now is late to the game.

a reply to: wasaka

Yes, we have one Roku in the living room. It provides the news in bits and pieces, which I hate, but prefer over nothing. Also offers the weather, which for some reason I am always obsessed over. There are some really good science based programs on Roku, also the NASA station which is interesting when it isn't just space. I recommend the Roku to all, especially if you want to sit down to the television on your couch and not be scrunched over laptop or other tiny watching device.

We have gone this route for four years now beats high price cable any day.

I guess I'm sold out.

I have a Macbook Pro, iPad, iPhone, Airport Extreme, and Apple TV. All of these products work seamlessly together and I never have any any network/internet problems or device problems. I've owned Android and PC products before and found I spent more time restarting, defragging, reformatting, and messing around with software settings and drivers than I wanted to.

Apple products may be expensive, but I think they pay for themselves in the long run due to their lifespan. I have a Macbook that's over 7 years old now that my girl still uses. The only thing I've ever had to do to it was replace the battery (which cost $120). I did it myself using a quarter to unscrew the old one.

I actually don't even use the Apple TV much anymore because I've got a Smart TV with the apps built into it. That lets me watch Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix. I never really paid for anything in the iTunes movie store anyway.

I have a friend that loves his Roku box. To me they look cheap and chintzy. The plastic looks like it might break. I have an Amazon Fire TV box that's pretty nice (but again, I don't use it anymore). Amazon's OS is pretty much a tweaked version of Android. As long as you stay within their ecosystem, it usually runs pretty stable.

originally posted by: brandiwine14
I
I wish cable companies did this. I would love to just buy five or six television channels at a few dollars a piece, I miss regular news, sy-fy channel, etc... but I will never pay full price for cable again when we watch only a very small percentage of what we pay for.

plus me. all the cable/satellite companies force you to buy 'packages' which may or may not include what you want. I get about 80 channels now (including 'shopping' stuff) and watch about ten of them, and can't get SyFy, NFL, Chiller, etc.
some senator a few years ago was talking about forcing companies to do a la carte, i.e. letting you choose your channels, but it never got anywhere.
this is what a monopoly, or near-monopoly, will do. I can't believe these operations can't select channels better than the aforementioned packages.
maybe the online and other options will force them to be a bit more consumer friendly.
I got so fed up I got high-speed internet and called Dish to cancel. they made me a friendly ($) offer so I'm still with them, but grudgingly.

a reply to: brandiwine14

Say what??? I have a Roku 1 and a Roku 2, love them! Have an Amazon Firestick, but it's too proprietary for my taste.

a reply to: wasaka

I am a huge fan of Thrones but it, as did True Blood and many others before it, will "jump the shark" and be cancelled in a few seasons. It happens!!!

Yes, I will weep and complain, but that's the nature of the beast we call entertainment.

This move is gutsy.

I fear for a future were the consumer is king.