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HBO Floats Standalone Idea

New York Post, Tuesday, December 7, 2010 12:33 PM

HBO could one day be offered as a standalone service, not tied to any specific level of pay-TV subscription, says Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes. Such an a-la-carte offering by the leading premium pay-TV channel could boost HBO's subscriber level above its stagnant 30 million and add some ka-ching to its bottom line.

The 38-year-old channel has been a part of cable packages since it started, but with over-the-top platforms like Netflix, Google TV and Apple TV gaining in popularity and overall cable subscriptions falling -- HBO is expected to report the loss of 1.5 million subscribers this year -- Bewkes is putting cable on notice that he has other options. The channel is working on tablet applications that would make it available on Apple's iPads by the next quarter -- and on smartphones at some point in 2011.

Read the whole story at New York Post »

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