Back in 2012, HBO fan Jake Caputo started lobbying heavily for HBO to offer a streaming-only service for fans of its series and network. HBO recently launched that service, HBO Now, and wants Caputo to pay up.
In this hilarious video, HBO sends some of its hired professionals (in the guise of two very familiar character from HBO's original series The Sopranos) to rough Caputo up and make sure he puts his money where his mouth is.
Caputo spent several years asking fans what they would pay for an HBO service, even as the network continuously denied that they would ever offer such a thing. Caputo's campaign, and Twitter hashtag, #TakeMyMoneyHBO found many supporters, fans of the idea of not having to pay for a cable or satellite subscription to get HBO favorites such as Game of Thrones.
HBO eventually changed its mind and earlier this year announced that its HBO Now service would launch this month, April, perfectly timed to line up with the fifth season premiere of its most popular show to date, Game of Thrones.
Of course, as with any large corporation, this streaming-only service comes with a catch, still leaving HBO fans in the dark, at least for 90 days. The streaming service is only available on Apple devices for three months. After that, the service opens up to everyone. However, the Apple-only 90-day deal has still angered fans of the network even though they're actually getting what they wanted, at least eventually.
The video shows Mike Caputo getting hassled by two actors from The Sopranos, playing the parts of their characters as mobsters. They take Mike's money, just like his website asked, presumably in the name of HBO, although with the exclusive deal present, they probably have to split part of it with Apple.
HBO Now is available now on Apple devices, as well as through Optimum Cable with a 30-day free trial. After that, the service will cost $14.95 per month. Those subscribing to the service will get full seasons of every show HBO has ever aired, along with the ability to watch content on a variety of devices after the deal with Apple is over.
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