UPDATE, Nov. 29: HBO has expanded the reach of Go further in Central Europe, extending its reach to cover Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
HBO has gone direct-to-consumer in four countries in Central Europe. HBO Go has launched in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia and will serve up HBO hits including “Game of Thrones” and “Westworld,” as well as classic series from the premium cabler such as “Sex and the City” and “The Wire.”
Agnieszka Holland’s “Burning Bush” and other local originals will also be on the streaming service.
HBO Go is available via connected devices – each customer can add five – including phones, tablets, Samsung smart TVs and Sony’s PlayStation. In Romania the service is priced at €4.99 per month, and in the other territories it is €6.99.
In addition to the HBO fare there will be third-party programming such as “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Babylon Berlin,” “Billions,” and “Luther.” There will also be movies, with “Beauty and the Beast,” “Trainspotting 2,” and “Assassin’s Creed” among the launch titles. Documentary and kids programming also feature.
HBO runs linear pay-TV channels throughout Central and Eastern Europe but Monday’s launches mark the first time it has gone straight to customers in those countries with a streaming service and launched outside of the pay-TV ecosystem.
“HBO Go via affiliates is already a huge success in Central Europe, but our goal is to make it even easier for the many series lovers in these countries to access HBO’s premium content. The launch of HBO Go direct to consumers in Central Europe is a natural step for us after successful launches of HBO streaming services in Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland,” said Hervé Payan, CEO of HBO Europe.
