Demand for HBO programming without TV is a lesson for news publishers
The Earl Blog | 12 September 2012
At the same time as newspapers have launched cross-platform bundled subscriptions (print + Web + tablet + smartphone), there has been a similar trend of “television everywhere” (TV channel + streaming video on any device).
Yet just as news publishers have difficulty shaking free of print in the bundle, television purveyors can’t let loose of their core product.
A citizens group (Twitter #takemymoneyhbo) has petitioned HBO to let them sign up for HBO Go without actually subscribing to the cable TV channel. They are perfectly willing to pay US$10 to US$15 per month for HBO Go, which allows for streaming HBO programming and archived materials to any digital device.
Among news publishers, the majority of new subscriptions today are digital-only (80% is a number I keep hearing) — despite intense efforts to bundle print at very affordable prices.
Media companies, we have to let go. Organise distribution offerings around the consumer.








