HBO Go password sharing doesn't bother HBO

Most of the streaming media companies out there get upset if they know users are sharing passwords. Typically, the sharing of a password is seen as a form of piracy and executives at the streaming firms tend to consider sharing to be costing them a subscriber. HBO has a refreshingly different opinion of password sharing for its HBO Go service.

HBO Go isn't currently available without subscribing to HBO with a participating cable or satellite company. Grumblings have surfaced over time that suggest HBO is considering making the Go streaming service available as a standalone offering. For now, you need a cable subscription, or a friend willing to share a password.

HBO CEO Richard Pleper was on hand at a Buzzfeed event recently and said that the cable network is aware that users share HBO Go passwords. He went on to say that the sharing of passwords has no impact on HBO's business. HBO Go generates no extra income for the cable network; it is a free offering for subscribers that are already paying.

Pleper says that what the network doesn't gain in new subscribers resulting from password sharing, it gains in new fans of its programming. He considers password sharing to be a "terrific marketing vehicle" for the next generation of subscribers. An HBO Go app for the PS3 and PS4 game consoles is on the way.

SOURCE: University Herald