Missin' u, Khal Drogo
As it stands right now, only users who subscribe to HBO’s television service have access to HBO GO, the network’s website for streaming content. If this seems kind of silly to you considering more and more users are giving up cable in exchange web-only options, and it essentially provides them with no way to access HBO’s shows — in 2012, mind you — without waiting months for the DVDs or illegally downloading them, you are not alone. Web designer Jason Caputo started a site called Take My Money, HBO!, which implored visitors to enter an amount of money they’d be willing to pay for a web-only option in the hope it would change HBO’s mind, and the movement quickly gained steam. In response to this organized, targeted effort by passionate fans of their programming to give them money, HBO took a step back, evaluated the situation carefully, and essentially told everyone to go pound sand.
TechCrunch has a more comprehensive breakdown of the situation, and it appears to be somewhat more complicated than “You have that thing I want. I have this many money. Can I have it?”, which is kind of a shame, because that is the entire extent of my knowledge of economics. It does seem like there should be a much simpler option here. But I guess until we figure that out, people without cable will just have to keep using their friends’ HBO GO passwords sit back and torrent the crap out of “Game of Thrones” wait for HBO to figure out a plan.
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SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY, HBO!
[takemymoneyhbo.com]
Futurama memes are the best memes.
While it would be nice if they offered web-only subscriptions but their HBO, they can do what they want. Except if they cancel Game of Thrones (which they are not gonna do) then fuck them.
HBO is owned by…Time Warner. A cable company. It’s shocking that they’re not interested in cutting themselves out of their own business model.
Still a little butthurt over nearly wrecking the company merging with AOL. Teh interweb tubes, they aren’t to be trusted.
This will never happen, the cable companies are like the oil industries. We will be dependent upon them forever. The breakups will be tough, but the make up sex will be stellar.
I read an article on this subject earlier this week and they made a good point: most of HBO’s content is subsidized by cable contracts. If they bite the hand that feeds them, offering users a way to cut their cable cord, then they may lose those content subsidies and hurt their core business. They’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
Once again, the issue appears to be the outdated content distribution model of cable/satellite TV
Here’s hoping I will always have at least one friend with HBO!
I had to give in and buy HBO; I don’t have any friends.
Are you trying to tell me that a company doesn’t want to offer a service that will undoubtedly cause it to lose money?
HBO is the first of many media companies that are going to start going to that model. Watch for Showtime to follow soon. Rumors are already around that Hulu might start asking for cable information to watch episodes (since hulu is owned my networks already, it would fall under the same principles).
That would pretty much eliminate the need for Hulu. Who would pay $7.99 for Hulu Plus if they have to have cable on top of it? They realize DVR services are cheaper than that if not free, right?
Here’s the way business works….they sell you something you want, coupled with something you don’t need, in a way that is inconvenient for you for more money than it should cost, and they make money.
This is, I’m told, a better philosophy than packaging things in a way customers want, and selling it to a lot more of them at a reasonable price.
Let me explain to you how this works: you see, the corporations finance Team America, and then Team America goes out… and the corporations sit there in their… in their corporation buildings, and… and, and see, they’re all corporation-y… and they make money.
*Squinting*
Can’t tell if you’re making fun of me…..
Or sarcastically agreeing with me….
I just use Renly’s password for HBO Go.
He doesn’t need it anymore. Funny that Six Feet Under was his favorite show.
This made me giggle more than it should’ve.