No longer would HBO be reliant on a broadband operator to deliver Game of Thrones, The Sopranos or Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. (HBO does distribute directly to consumers via streaming service HBO Now, which counts 1 million subscribers, according to Dallas consulting firm Parks Associates.) The most successful producer of TV content in recent history -- 15 straight years as top Emmy award winner -- would be owned by a distributor. Nonetheless, binge-watching could threaten HBO's business model, by which cable TV operators charge subscribers extra for a network that sustains interest in the very act of watching linear TV.
From the article "Netflix Prods HBO to Go 'Binge-First' With New Seasons of Original Shows" by Leon Lazaroff.
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