HBO is currently negotiating new deals with major US distributors, which, according to Bloomberg, the company regards as more important than the success of HBO Now. In its current negotiations, the HBO wants to strike deals that let it keep more subscription dollars. The question, then, is whether HBO Now (which lets you get HBO without a cable subscription) has undermined HBO’s negotiating power with the big cable companies.
Bearing in mind that viewers can get HBO on their streaming box, smart TV, or game console, HBO may have lost some negotiating power from the point of view of distributors. There’s no certainty either way right now. But more than a little hinges on how those distributors regard the fact that “Game of Thrones” is soon to head into the sunset, and “Vinyl” sunk like a brick, as critical, or are buoyed by the success of “Westworld.”
Inquiring minds want to know.
