Mobile: HBO To Offer Standalone Service for Cordcutters! We Can ThankNetflix

Source: USA Today.

No doubt by now, you know that HBO, a service of Time Warner, is only available with a cable or sat TV sub.  What you should know by now is that HBO will be offered as a standalone service san the cable baggage in 2015.  That means you'll probably pay a disproportionate amount for HBO to stream on your Apple TV, Chrome dongle, or Roku.  It means maybe pay anywhere from $15-20 for the service but you won't have to shell out $100 for a bunch of stuff you don't want to watch.

A couple of things you'll want to note going foward:

First, We can thank Netflix.  Yeah, without it, not only will we not get a bunch of back catalog of TV and movies for dirt cheap but also really get things moving along with respect to competition for your eye balls and wallet. 

Second, look for other studios to monetize their services once HBO has established their presence on non-traditional platforms.  Looking for a comedy channel with just old Friends episodes for $2?  Sure?  I'd pay $5 for an all The Simpsons and Fox animated services access. 

Lastly, bundles will come once more channels are offered to cord-cutters.  It'll be offered with greater flexibility than what cable guys are now offering. And it'll completely up-end how we watch TV. 

Now, $15-20 might be a lot for just one "channel" right?  I predict that HBO might offer tiered services.  For older stuff, maybe it'll be around $10 and current shows will jump up to $15 or more.  And maybe even $20 if you want to not just stream from your Apple TV but also tablet.  This would allow Time Warner to satisfy cable partners and give consumers more choices.  Of course, you can already get older HBO content if you have Amazon Prime.  But that's $100 a year. 

The question now is when in 2015?  January 1st?  March? Summer?  Fall?  What's your time?

Update: there is indication this standalone HBO streaming service will come at the beginning of 2015. We should know more as info gets leaked. The entertainment industry isn't known for keeping secrets. 

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