We know you share streaming accounts with friends, family and other miscellaneous acquaintances on Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu and so on. Who doesn't?
We also know that every time you login, especially to services that don't allow multiple accounts as Netflix now does, that you experience a slight, trembling fear that one day sharing will be banned. No more, "Game of Thrones"! you may fearfully dread. But worry no more, HBO Go isn't mad, and frankly, they kind of see it as a good thing.
“It’s not that we’re unmindful of it, it just has no impact on the business,” Richard Plepler, HBO's CEO, said at a BuzzFeed event on Thursday (Jan. 16). Apparently, HBO sees account sharing as a “terrific marketing vehicle for the next generation of viewers,” and something which could create more subscribers overtime.
Although viewers love HBO shows, does that really mean they'd eventually be willing to join the service on their own? Plepler seems to think it's possible if viewers become truly hooked. “We’re in the business of creating addicts,” he told BuzzFeed. As addicted to streaming online content as we all are, let's not forget that to have an HBO Go account, users must first subscribe to the their cable service. Although HBO isn't totally against the option of unbundling, it doesn't look like that's a model the company is looking to change any time soon. "Right now, that’s the right model for us," Plepler added.
So for now, keep sharing those passwords.
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