Multiplatform TV: Kessler: HBO Go Rolls to Kindle Fire With New Season of 'True Blood'

Authenticated 'TV Everwhere' streaming service becomes available June 10 on Amazon's, other's tablets

By Mike Reynolds, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/3/2012 1:00:14 PM

New York -- HBO Go, the premium network's authenticated streaming service, will go to Amazon's Kindle Fire with the start of the upcoming season of True Blood.

Eric Kessler, co-president of HBO, told attendees of NewBay Media's "TV in Multiplatform World" conference here Thursday morning that HBO Go would become available on Kindle Fire on June 10, when the premium programmer will bow the fifth campaign of its hit vampire series True Blood on numerous Android-based tablets.

"Once Kindle Fire launches, HBO Go will be on the vast majority of devices that people use for streaming," said Kessler, who added that other platform rollouts would continue throughout the year.

HBO Go debuted on browser-versions for PCs and Macs on desktops and laptops two years ago. The "TV Everywhere" service then launched its app last May 1, backed by a major national advertising campaign. Kessler said at that juncture, HBO Go had distribution agreements that made the service available to 80% of HBO's affiliate base. Since then, it has concluded rollouts with major distributors, including Time Warner Cable and Cablevision in 2012, as well as a number of smaller distributors. "HBO Go is now available to 99% of all HBO's subs. And every week, a new smaller distributor comes on board," said Kessler.

In terms of platforms, Apple products and Android-operating system-enabled mobile devices were added to the fold last May. They were followed by the December connections with Roku's Internet set-top boxes, and in February with Samsung Internet-connected TVs. More recently, the programmer, to coincide with the April 1 second-season premiere of original fantasy series Game of Thrones, launched HBO Go on Microsoft's Xbox. "There is no better match than the Game of Thrones audience and the Xbox audience," Kessler noted.