Rumor mill: 'HBO Now' will launch as a $15-a-month a la carte service in April

HBO's new a la carte service reportedly will be called "HBO Now," and it will launch next month, amid the April 12 season premiere of series hit Game of Thrones, with a $15-a-month price tag.

International Business Times plied these specifics to the rampant outside speculation surrounding the highly anticipated SVOD service, citing unnamed inside sources.

According to IBT, Time Warner Inc.-owned HBO is in talks with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to make the Apple TV streaming device core to its launch plans. Having been unable to fulfill its ambitious stated goals of launching its own streaming service, Apple is described in the report as an enthusiastic potential partner for HBO.

HBO would also rely on other device makers/service providers--Roku, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Sony, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN)--to help distribute and promote the new service.

Time Warner executives say the new service will target the 10 million U.S. broadband homes that don't have pay-TV subscriptions.

A standalone service which consumers would purchase directly from HBO, the streaming product has been met with resistance from pay-TV operators, which have to date been the exclusive source of HBO access.

For more:
- read this International Business Times story

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