Yeah, yeah, shut up and take your money. Well, it looks like HBO just might. CEO Richard Plepler told Reuters that he thinks HBO "has the right model", but the popular HBO Go service could evolve to be paired with broadband internet subscriptions.
HBO has been pretty dogged about saying it wasn't interested in offering HBO Go as a standalone. And technically, this wouldn't be that either, with the hypothetical model using a broadband subscription the same way HBO uses basic cable subscriptions now:
Plepler said late Wednesday that HBO GO could be packaged with a monthly Internet service, in partnership with broadband providers, reducing the cost.
Customers could pay $50 a month for their broadband Internet and an extra $10 or $15 for HBO to be packaged in with that service, for a total of $60 or $65 per month, Plepler explained.
"We would have to make the math work," he added.
That's still pretty wishy washy, sure. But it's also the first time that we've seen HBO coming down on this side of the line on non-answers about HBO Go. And really, as long as your internet provider is supported, this would, in fact, amount to an a la carte option. Reuters also points out that cable companies Time Warner Cable, Comcast and Verizon FiOS all offer broadband subscriptions in addition to cable TV. So partners would be pretty easy to come by, presumably.
This does not mean HBO Go is a sure bet to be available without a cable subscription. Certainly not any time soon. But a CEO talking about potential business models to a news organization shows that the idea is being taken pretty damn seriously. [Reuters via Engadget]