HBO Now is going mainstream. A new deal brings the standalone streaming service to Verizon Internet customers, giving users a reason to celebrate, not to mention binge-watch. The service, which serves HBO's entire catalog without the need for a cable or satellite subscription -- "all you need is the internet." Now Verizon can sell you both, and HBO looks poised to reap the benefits.
While Verizon Internet customers will have new opportunities to check out the service without the need for cable, the deal includes the rights for Verizon distribute HBO Now "to Verizon digital platforms, including to more than 100 million Verizon Wireless customers and other consumers with handsets and/or tablets." The deal opens up a plethora of opportunities for both companies to bring in new revenue streams.
"Our customers want choice in accessing premium content when and where they choose, on a variety of devices," said Ben Grad, Verizon's executive director of content strategy and acquisition. "HBO Now brings compelling content and choice to Verizon broadband customers today."
Verizon also highlighted the "exciting possibilities" the deal creates, especially for channeling HBO content within Verizon's upcoming mobile video platform. Users will still have to subscribe to HBO Now for unlimited access to the network's content, but it sounds like there will be perks either way. It's definitely intriguing, given that Verizon has such a massive reach in the mobile market, along with its various other platforms, making HBO execs giddy with the possibility of additional dollar signs through a variety of bundling, and other tie-in opportunities for the network's sought after content.
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