The battle for video streaming supremacy is already turning allies into rivals.
After making some of its best shows available on Amazon Prime since 2014, HBO revealed today that it does not plan to renew its licensing pact with Amazon once it expires next year.
Starting in mid-2018 you will no longer be able to watch The Sopranos, The Wire, Sex and the City and other top shows from HBO. The company planned to make newer series like Game of Thrones and Girls available on Prime three years after they finished, but now you’ll have to subscribe to HBO Now if you want to see them.
“I don’t think you’ll see us extend or expand our library programming on Amazon beyond the end of next year,” said HBO CEO Richard Plepler during a call with investors today.
Instead of offering shows for free on Prime, Plepler says HBO plans to use the “enormous momentum” provided by Amazon’s Channels services to acquire more subscribers for its HBO Now platform.
Being spurned by HBO may not be that big of a deal for Amazon. The company only had a few of its own original shows when it inked the deal with HBO in 2014. This year Jeff Bezo’s company won three Oscars for its movies and Amazon has a parade of original shows now to keep bingers happy.
