HBO to launch standalone streaming service in 2015

Irish viewers might soon be able to watch shows like Silicon Valley without the need for an old-fashioned TV connection

HBO – the US broadcaster behind Game of Thrones, The Wire, The Sopranos, Silicon Valley and so many other top-class programmes – is to launch a standalone streaming service next year.

Users can already stream HBO programmes through its HBO Go service, but it’s tied to an old-fashioned cable package with prices to match.

The alternativea for Irish viewers are Sky Atlantic – which has exclusive rights to many of HBO’s programmes here – or the inevitable (and expensive) DVD boxset.

Exactly when HBO will debut the new service – and how much it will cost – is still unknown. It’s also likely that the service will initially be US-only, with international access coming at a later stage.

All that’s known is based on comments by HBO chairman and CEO Richard Peipler during an investor conference call, when he said the service would arrive in 2015.