Time Warner announced, that HBO Now subscribers have passed 2 million in the US. The streaming service was launched in April 2015 and reached 800,000 subscribers by the year end, and nearly one million subscribers by March 2016.
The launch of HBO Now’s service attracted criticism for its higher price point of $15 per month, compared to cheaper streaming services from Netflix and Hulu. However, Time Warner CFO Howard Averill attributed the growth to its digital distribution deals.
Examples of the success of HBO Now, include 13 million viewers per episode to watch “Westworld” plus 22 Emmy nominations in 2016 for its content, including for “Game of Thrones.”
Subscriptions to HBO Now are available via streaming TV services including PlayStation Vue, Dish’s Sling TV, and AT&T’s DirecTV Now. Hulu is to launch its own live TV service, which could include a HBO Now add on, since Time Warner has a 10% stake in Hulu.
HBO revenues for the last quarter were up by 5.6% to $1.49 billion.
