HBO Reruns On Amazon Prime

Published On: May 17, 2014
Last Updated on: October 31, 2020
We May Earn From Purchases Via Links

HBO Reruns On Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime Instant Video is about to get a shot of new content courtesy of HBO. Many of HBO's hit shows, past and present, will soon be available on Amazon's service. And while favorites like The Sopranos and The Wire...

HBO Reruns On Amazon Prime

  • The staff at HomeTheaterReview.com is comprised of experts who are dedicated to helping you make better informed buying decisions.

d1ybi5sdzglspcfsplaz.jpgAmazon Prime Instant Video is about to get a shot of new content courtesy of HBO. Many of HBO's hit shows, past and present, will soon be available on Amazon's service. And while favorites like The Sopranos and The Wire will be part of the deal, white-hot Game of Thrones and the long-enduring Curb Your Enthusiasm and Sex and the City are not.

From The Los Angeles Times

HBO has cut a deal to sell reruns of many of its hit shows to Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime Instant Video platform.
Among the programs that will be made available on Amazon's Prime Instant Video streaming service are "The Sopranos," "Six Feet Under," "The Wire," "Girls" and "Veep." The agreement also covers HBO's miniseries including "Band of Brothers" and original movies such as "Game Change."
As part of the pact, HBO's online streaming service HBO Go will also be available on Amazon's new Fire TV settop box the end of the year. HBO shows will be available on Prime Instant starting May 21. Terms were not disclosed.
PHOTOS: WGA's top 101 shows of all time
The exclusive partnership is something of an about-face for HBO, a unit of Time Warner Inc. In the past, the company has indicated it was not interested in selling its content to online subscription services such as Netflix and Amazon which it saw as competitors.
However, HBO already has a long relationship with Amazon. HBO Go is available to Kindle users and Amazon also sells DVDs of HBO shows.
By selling reruns of popular shows to Amazon, HBO is also potentially causing some pain for Netflix, which is seen as a much bigger threat than Amazon.
The sale is indicative of how the rerun marketplace has shifted in the last few years. In the past, HBO sold old episodes of its shows to basic cable networks such as A&E and TBS.
But those networks are making more original content and the appetite for HBO's leftovers has faded. At the same time, companies such as Netflix and Amazon have been spending heavily on content to try to boost their platforms and that has become a crucial revenue stream for programmers.
PHOTOS: TV shows and their spinoffs
"As owners of our original programming, we have always sought to capitalize on that investment. Given our longstanding relationship with Amazon, we couldn't think of a better partner to entrust with this valuable collection," said Glenn Whitehead, HBO's executive vice president of business and legal affairs.
Not wanting to potentially hurt its own business, repeats of episodes of shows currently on HBO such as "Girls" and "Veep" will not be available until three years after airing on the pay-TV channel.
"Game of Thrones," "Sex and the City" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" are not part of this agreement. "Game of Thrones" is such a hit that HBO likely wants to see if there is a potentially bigger payoff in traditional media. The other two shows are available on other cable networks and until those deals are up, can't be moved.
All of HBO's shows will remain available on its own platforms as well.

Additional Resources

Subscribe To Home Theater Review

Get the latest weekly home theater news, sweepstakes and special offers delivered right to your inbox
Email Subscribe
© JRW Publishing Company, 2023
As an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases.

magnifiercross
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram
Share to...