HBO CEO Richard Plepler is clearly happy with how HBO Now’s launch has gone, almost a month after the stand-alone streaming service launched exclusively on Apple devices. Things are going so well that HBO Now could launch on other Internet TV devices by the end of the year.
“We got out of the gate very fast with Apple,” Plepler said during Time Warner’s first quarter 2015 earnings call Wednesday, reports TheWrap. “We see a lot of momentum there. And we are having what I would call very productive conversations with our traditional partners, and I expect that by the end of the year we will have deals with them for HBO Now as well.”
Hopefully, this means that HBO Now will soon be available on Roku, XBox, Amazon Fire TV and other platforms. At the moment, HBO Now is only available for Apple TV and Apple iOS devices. Cablevision is also offering it to its subscribers.
Variety notes that Plepler also told investors that it doesn’t look like HBO Now is drawing people away from cable. After all, customers still need subscriptions to an Internet provider in order to stream content. “It’s an expansion of the pie,” he said.
While HBO Now appears to be HBO’s direct answer to Netflix, don’t expect the network to post full seasons of Game of Thrones online at once. Plepler really likes the idea of shows building audiences over time and “continuing the conversation over 8 weeks, 10 weeks, or 12 weeks.”
“You don't want us to binge. You can't handle the binge!” Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes joked with a Jack Nicholson impression.
Lastly, The Hollywood Reporter notes that Plepler suggested that non-HBO content from Warner Bros. and Turner could join HBO Now. “Our cousins at Warner and Turner could be involved in it,” he said.