HBO eyes OTT expansion

HBO is planning to expand its OTT web-TV service to more international markets.

Quoting people familiar with the matter, WSJ reports that they include Japan and Turkey, which have good broadband infrastructure and where HBO does not generate much revenue from licensing its programming.

Although the US market accounts for around three-quarters of HBO’s $4.9 billion annual revenues, it is finding growth opportunities increasingly limited.

Its international business, on the other hand, is growing rapidly and would be complemented by expanding web-TV offers to more markets.

This, in turn, could eventually pave the way for the launch of an online-only service in the US, where currently the HBO Go app is only available to pay-TV subscribers.