Score a big win for the little Roku streaming platform.
The maker of what has been, to date, an inexpensive over-the-top portal, today announced it had signed a deal that by the end of October will bring more than 1,400 HBO titles to Roku owners. Of course, the caveat is that the shows will only be available to Roku owners who also subscribe to HBO through a "participating television provider."
Nonetheless, the deal gives Roku owners access to shows directly on their TVs, which means that, after authenticating, they'll be able to watch on additional TV sets without having to add additional STBs from their providers.
Among the HBO titles that will be available are Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and True Blood; as well as classics like The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Deadwood; plus HBO original films, miniseries, sports, documentaries and specials; in addition to a wide selection of blockbuster theatricals.
The deal follows on the heels of a similar offering announced by Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Oct. 5, which said HBO Go will be available over its Xbox gaming console to HBO subscribers who also subscribe to its $60 a year Xbox Live service.
Roku has a line of devices that now start at $50.
For more:
- see this release
- see this Bloomberg article
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