There are plenty of cord-cutters who would love to access HBO content without a cable subscription, but is a standalone version of the network actually viable? Not according to HBO. Recently Jake Caputo launched a site to grab the network's attention called Take My Money, HBO!. It lets users type in how much they would pay for a version of HBO Go that didn't require a cable subscription, with the results then posted on Twitter along with the hashtag #takemymoneyhbo. HBO took notice and issued the following response:
Love the love for HBO. Keep it up. For now, @RyanLawler @TechCrunch has it right: itsh.bo/JLtSFE #takemymoneyHBO
— HBO (@HBO) June 6, 2012
The TechCrunch article in question looks at some of the drawbacks to offering HBO Go as a separate product, and determines that what the network would lose — including the loss of sales and marketing support provided by its distributors — would ultimately outweigh the benefits of garnering new, cable-free customers. HBO apparently agrees. So, for now at least, if you want to watch Game of Thrones on your Kindle Fire, you'll still need a cable subscription to do so.