Amazon To Have Exclusive Rights To HBO Shows Like ‘The Wire’
HBO has signed a contract with Amazon.com granting the company exclusive rights to distribute shows from the network’s library in digital form. Popular series like The Wire, Game Of Thrones, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Girls, and more will be available on the Amazon Prime streaming video service. Amazon Prime is a rival to the streaming king Netflix, and this deal proves that they are true competitors. Customers will no longer be able to choose one service or the other on the basis that the offerings are “pretty much the same.” According to Variety “Previous seasons of other HBO shows that are currently airing on the cable, including “Girls,” “The Newsroom” and “Veep,” will become available over the course of the multiyear agreement, approximately three years after airing on HBO.” So we may not be watching Game of Thrones or Girls tomorrow, but it does appear that older shows, such as The Wire, could be available very soon. HBO content will appear on Amazon Prime beginning on May 21, 2014. If you were planning on watching The Wire, wait till then. Amazon Prime is $99 a year. Membership comes with a large digital library as well as two-day shipping on most items shipped by Amazon.
