Premium cable network HBO has announced that the company will offer a new iPad application that will allow subscribers to stream the network’s content on the go.
Per Bloomberg, the HBO Go service will be extended to paying subscribers at no additional cost, co-president of HBO Eric Kellser told Bloomberg on Wednesday. The streaming service will be available on Apple’s iPad, as well as other mobile devices and through all major cable systems.
HBO’s decision to push its own streaming service comes as the cable network has refused a deal with video rental service Netflix, which has pushed hard to broker a deal. Kessler said he finds “value in exclusivity,” and believes consumers “are willing to pay a premium for high quality, exclusive content.”
HBO, owned by Time Warner, is home to such popular, original shows as “The Sopranos,” “True Blood,” and “Sex and the City.”
The HBO Go service is currently a Web-based streaming offering. Kessler did not elaborate as to whether its extension to the iPad would be in the form of an HTML5-based website, or a unique application written specifically for the iPad.
A final launch date for the iPad version of the HBO Go service has yet to be announced.