And, we will explore models with new partners.
– Finally, the moment many would-be cord-cutters have been waiting for: HBO says that next year, it will offer a "stand-alone, over the top" version of its service. Those are the words used by CEO Richard Plepler at an investor presentation; a press release after the fact called it a "stand-alone HBO streaming service," but the company hasn't said much beyond that. Re/code uses the words "Web-only offering" and "a digital version of its service that won’t require a pay-TV subscription" to describe what's coming. But no other details are yet known, including exactly how HBO will market and deliver the new version. Some industry sources have suggested it could partner with a service like Amazon or Hulu rather than building its own tech. Also unknown is how similar it will be to the existing HBO Go; some have suggested HBO might prefer to roll out a version that offers only new shows months after they premiere on traditional TV. (In other streaming news, click to see what's coming to Netflix.)