HBO has no incentive to offer streaming only subscriptions. Cable companies pay top dollar to offer HBO content, because putting HBO on a TV package increases the subscription to that package. Like For ever $1 cable companies pay for HBO, those cable companies make $3 from TV packages.
He said that HBO basically prints money, and does not give a damn.
I think this is the most likely outcome. Though with the big failure of municipal internet access, I think cable companies will still be relevant, perhaps just as dumb-pipes, and not content providers.
My take is that until there is another viable internet pipe to the home - wireless or fiber optic - the cable companies will continue to be relevant and powerful. Controlling the last mile to the consumer is just too powerful, especially when you look at how difficult and costly it is to do a new network at scale.
> I think cable companies will still be relevant, perhaps just as dumb-pipes, and not content providers.