Television is the American pastime that is rapidly changing before our eyes. Shows are being made for the Internet, binge watching has impacted the way writers and producers make TV, and cord-cutting has become popular among the Adult Youth. It’s estimated that 5 million homes in the country have cut their cable cords and exclusively watch TV from the Internet. 75% of those homes still enjoy some form of TV watching from DVD and Internet sources. With all the readily available options to watch TV on the Internet, it is estimated that this trend will likely grow in the decade to come.
Cable companies and content providers have struggled to figure out how to capitalize on this trend and still come out in the black on their profits each year. The premium cable channel HBO released HBOGo in 2010 in order to gain an online presence; however, HBOGo still requires an HBO subscription to access it, not completely making it a standalone Internet service.
Time Warner Cable may be stepping into the future, announcing that they are deeply considering offering HBO subscriptions with limited channels attached and direct subscriptions to HBOGo online. While the first option still requires a cord and a cable company, it’s a significantly cheaper alternative than a full cable package that can easily run in excess of $100 per month. The most appealing option of the two is the direct HBOGo subscription, which fans have been asking for on the Internet for a pretty long time.
Time Warner’s exploration of this service is a much needed step in the right direction since audiences are asking for more variety in how they watch TV. Services like NetFlix and Hulu have delivered, but traditional cable companies are still catching up. By cutting our cords, the next generation of adults has made it clear that the television landscape must come with variety and choice, and from the looks of this news, we’ll get it.