The discerning television viewer knows that many of the best shows on television are not to be found on the major broadcast channels, but rather on the comparatively smaller cable networks. HBO, for example, has been offering quality programming for years upon years—shows, however, that haven’t to date been available for download on any online television service. Want to catch up on The Sopranos or Entourage? It’s Netflix or illegal downloading for you, partner.
But, of course, like all the other network players, HBO is working on its own download sandbox. The venture, HBO on Broadband, would give HBO subscribers a free add-on that would allow them to download from a library of 600 titles, 400 of which would be available at any time, and a live stream of HBO’s broadcast channel. Plus, each month, one HBO original series would be available in its entirety.
The service is being rolled out gradually, starting in Milwaukee and Green Bay (congratulations, Green Bay; you’ve managed to win at something this season). To me, the restrictions sound nitpicky and arbitrary—why make only 400 of your catalog titles available at a time? Why only offer one show per month? If I miss catching up on Entourage in one month, do I have to wait like a year for it to roll around again? Plus, I still have to pay for HBO. It’d be nice if they made the shows available for purchase to non-susbcribers, for those who only want to watch one or two shows (The Wire, for the win).
It's Hulu all over again. "Why don't we invest in a broadband service that will do nothing to increase our customer base?"