Time Warner Inc. and Dish Network reached a new distribution deal, which includes a big new addition for anyone who plans on cutting the cord. HBO is joining Sling TV, Dish’s web television service.
Dish and Time Warner were in talks to sign a long-term deal after they reached a temporary one in November, just to bring back TNT, TBS and others for Dish subscribers after they all went dark. According to The Wall Street Journal, part of the long term deal does include HBO joining Sling TV.
However, there is a catch. HBO won’t be considered a regular channel on Sling TV, which means that Sling TV users will have to pay an extra $12 per month for the network.
“It is has always been our desire to make the HBO subscription widely accessible,” Tom Woodbury, president of global distribution for HBO, said in a statement, posted at PCMag.com. “Sling TV is a part of that ongoing evolution and we believe HBO is a great addition to the platform.”
While this does continue HBO’s obvious desire to become more widely available for anyone not subscribing to traditional cable/satellite service, it is important to note that this is not part of HBO Now. That’s the stand-alone, on-demand service officially announced on March 9 that will be available for systems like Roku, Amazon Fire, XBox One and others. It will be available on AppleTV exclusively at launch around April 12, when Game of Thrones’ new season starts. That service costs $14.99 a month.
Sling TV is Dish’s own internet TV service, which offers live streaming television. HBO will be airing live, just like it does on traditional TV. Other networks available on the service include AMC, ESPN, TNT, Disney Channel, CBS and Cartoon Network.
image of ‘Game of Thrones’ star Nicolas Coster-Waldau courtesy of Famous/ACE/INFphoto.com