HBO's Online Channel Surpasses 5 Million U.S. Subscribers
- Network’s growth driven by Amazon, new online-TV services
- New deals with distributors gave them more incentive to sell
Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
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HBO’s online customers in the U.S. have more than doubled in the past year to more than 5 million thanks to sales of subscriptions on Amazon and new streaming TV services like DirecTV Now, according to a person familiar with the matter.
When it launched in 2015, the network was one of the first premium channels to be available to consumers who don’t have a cable TV subscription. The move was seen as risky, with industry watchers arguing it would jeopardize HBO’s relationship with traditional pay-TV distributors like Comcast Corp.