We were extremely excited to recently learn that HBO and Sony had partnered a deal to bring some cable goodness onto the PlayStation 3 console. However, that “too-good-to-be-true” deal came with fine print and a catch-22 that may not keep the “on-demand” crowd satisfied.
Fans of the HBO cable network will have to wait a whopping 11 month period from the original air date before their favorite shows will be available for viewing on the PSN. After the wait period is over (approximately 1 year), HBO’s TV episodes can be purchased at $2.99. HBO’s president, Henry McGee has stated that this time-delay rule will be used to dissuade the masses from dropping their current cable and satellite subscriptions.
While this news comes as a bit of a damper, it’s at least nice to know that the PS3 video library is continuing to expand, even though the transition may be a bit bumpy as the cable networks figure out their way to the living room via gaming consoles.
I’m still crossing my fingers and hoping that the $3 price tag comes down too, especially if the content will be quite dated.
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