Sling TV announced today that it inked a deal to provide its customers will access to HBO – just in time for the premiere of the next season of “Game of Thrones.” People who pay $20 a month to subscribe to the Dish Network-operated streaming service, which offers live TV streaming from a variety of channels, will be able to pay an additional $15 for access to all of the premium shows produced by HBO.
It’s a coup for Sling, since HBO Now, the newly-announced independent streaming service for HBO content, will be exclusive to Apple devices until later this year. Sling works on set-top boxes made by Roku and Amazon, along with Microsoft’s Xbox One and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Offering HBO means that the company may pick up even more cord-cutting users who are interested in getting their fix of “Game of Thrones” or other content like “True Detective.”
In addition to live streaming, HBO will make the same on-demand content available to Sling subscribers that it has on other platforms. It’s not clear yet when exactly the channel will go live, but it will be sometime before April 12.
The service already offers a hefty selection of channels in its base package, including TNT, ESPN and Lifetime. In addition, Sling offers several add-on packages for $5 each that allow people to expand their channel choices further. This deal marks the first time the service has departed from that model, but it’s not surprising, since HBO Now will also cost $15 a month all on its own.
