There are plenty of cord-cutters who would love to access HBO content without a cable subscription, but is a standalone version of the network actually viable? Not according to HBO. Recently Jake Caputo launched a site to grab the network’s attention called Take My Money, HBO!. It lets users type in how much they would pay for a version of HBO Go that didn’t require a cable subscription, with the results then posted on Twitter along with the hashtag #takemymoneyhbo. HBO took notice and issued the following response:
HBO won’t be offering a cable-free HBO Go option ‘for now’
HBO has responded to a campaign urging the network to offer HBO Go without a cable subscription, and it looks like we won’t be seeing such a service anytime soon.
HBO has responded to a campaign urging the network to offer HBO Go without a cable subscription, and it looks like we won’t be seeing such a service anytime soon.
is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.
Love the love for HBO. Keep it up. For now, @RyanLawler @TechCrunch has it right: itsh.bo/JLtSFE #takemymoneyHBO
— HBO (@HBO) June 6, 2012
The TechCrunch article in question looks at some of the drawbacks to offering HBO Go as a separate product, and determines that what the network would lose — including the loss of sales and marketing support provided by its distributors — would ultimately outweigh the benefits of garnering new, cable-free customers. HBO apparently agrees. So, for now at least, if you want to watch Game of Thrones on your Kindle Fire, you’ll still need a cable subscription to do so.
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