Amazon Will Exclusively Stream HBO Shows Starting Next Month
Up until now, the only way that a viewer could stream HBO content was through HBO GO, which required a cable login that confirmed the user subscribed to the channel. This left cable cutters who wanted to catch up on past seasons of Girls, for example, in the lurch. However, that's all about to change.
Amazon announced yesterday that it has entered a multi-year contract with HBO to be the sole streaming provider of its content. That means that only Prime subscribers will be able to stream HBO shows without subscribing to the channel itself. Moreover, Amazon's new Fire TV streaming set-top box will include the HBO GO app, which was notably absent when the device was first announced earlier this month.
The exact details for the deal, however, are still unclear; Prime users reportedly won't have access to episodes of current seasons, but past seasons of current shows are fair game. The initial content rollout will begin on May 21, and over time more shows will be added. While it remains to be seen which titles will be immediately accessible, Game of Thrones will most definitely not be available through the deal. So if you've been itching to figure out what the Red Wedding was all about, you'll need to subscribe to HBO or buy the box set.
Rippling Repercussions
When Amazon announced a few months ago that it would raise the cost of Prime subscriptions to $99 a year, a lot consumers decried that the service was no longer worth it unless there was value added beyond free 2-day shipping. In fact, many readers specifically cited a need for improved media offerings. The HBO contract certainly fulfills this desire, and may soften the harsh $20 price increase for some consumers.
Moreover, having HBO content signals Amazon as a more realistic competitor for Netflix. As Forbes points out, "Amazon's streaming has just looked like a nice bonus for people who use Amazon Prime for free shipping," but it may now appear to be a genuine streaming alternative to Netflix.
Readers, what do you think of this deal? Does HBO content on Amazon make your Prime subscription more valuable? Are you more likely to subscribe to Prime with the enhanced media library? Sound off in the comments below!
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The HBO option would be great if you could get the current programming!
Thanks for the reply!
It simply isn't there anymore,or I can't find it .
I emailed them asking them to direct me to it,I will post their response when do!
Your Account, Settings, Manage Prime Membership, Turn off Auto-Renew (or similar... mine now says 'Continue Membership').
However, the setting was not working - it was locked in some kind of loop (no 'we-will-not-let-you-go' conspiracy theories, please).
So I opened an incident with Amazon Support and was blown away by how courteous and responsive they were in manually turning it off for me and answering further questions. I Think it was done within about 30-60 minutes of my initial email. That is the kind of customer responsiveness that earns loyalty!
I can't seem to find the link for
AUTO-RENEW in my acct where exactly is it all I see is an End Membership link !
Thanks
Not only does that force you to re-evaluate when it expires, but it also sends a warning sign to Amazon about the price hike.
Also, if you're hyper-analytical, Amazon has great custom reports to give you transparency on what you bought over the past year. Dividing the number of things bought into $99 tells you what you paid to get "free shipping"... or perhaps shows how you could have bundled into $35 chunks.
A huge advantage for Amazon Prime.