In a press release posted on May 21st, Amazon revealed that their previously announced deal to stream previous HBO shows and seasons would go into effect today. Shows available to stream at launch included some of HBOs most popular series including all seasons of the critically acclaimed series the Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, and Flight of the Conchrods among others. Miniseries such as Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and John Adams were also included. Initial seasons of HBO originals such as True Blood and Boardwalk Empire are available, but not the most recent series. Additional shows will be added to the lineup as the years go on, including more current series such as Lena Dunham’s comedy-drama series Girls, Arron Sorkin political drama The Newsroom, and Emmy Award winning Veep starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Amazon’s release also went on to mention that they had studied user data indicating a clear demand for HBO content and welcomed the deal. Brad Beale, Director of Digital Video Content Acquisition for Amazon stated “We’re thrilled to deliver this collection of groundbreaking, beloved content from HBO to Amazon Prime members”.
Amazon also announced that an HBO Go app will be releasing later this year for the Amazon Fire TV, the companies first foray into the set-top box market. The app will not be standalone, and still require an cable subscription that includes HBO.