The HBO Now app has officially launched to Apple TV, offering users a 30-day trial for free, after which a subscription will cost $14.99 per month.
The service is only available to the second- and third-generation of Apple TV, and it is also available to subscribers of Cablevision's Optimum Internet service, found in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and other nearby areas.
The news comes a month after Apple announced a deal with HBO to exclusively launch HBO Now through the Apple TV, and for users of the iPad or iPhone. The deal with Apple, however, is exclusive among "new digital distributors," meaning that other services, such as the Roku, Google Chromecast and other devices, will offer subscriptions to HBO Now, but not for three months at least.
While that three-month window does seem rather short, it covers the entire span of the new Game of Thrones series, which is a pretty big deal.
The news comes as customer attention shifts away from traditional TV services toward more flexible streaming services such as Netflix, and now HBO Now, among others. Cablevision, however, is the first cable TV provider to offer HBO's new streaming service, despite the fact that the service essentially allows users to do away with cable TV subscriptions.
Cablevision serves around 3 million customers in New York and the greater New York area, with that number including a massive 2.8 million subscribers of the Optimum Online service. Comcast, by comparison, boasts 22.4 million customers of its video services and 22 million broadband customers.
The trend of turning to streaming services over traditional cable TV services is only set to continue. Streaming offers far more flexibility, allowing users to be able to watch their shows from anywhere with an Internet connection and a device. Not only that, but streaming also allows users to watch whatever they want, whenever they want, not having to be as concerned with missing their favorite shows.
HBO itself has promised that customers of other streaming devices will be able to subscribe to the HBO Now service after the three-month window is up.
Through the service, Apple users are able to stream content to up to three devices at one time, providing those are three Apple devices.
"The number of videos that you and members of your household can play at the same time with HBO Now is similar to HBO Go," said HBO in the FAQ section of the HBO Now website. "Like the traditional broadcast HBO subscription, we view it as a household subscription. However, if we see a level of sharing that affects our business, there are other tools of enforcement available to us."
HBO Go is free with a subscription to HBO's cable service and is its streaming service for watching on mobile devices.
