HBO’s standalone streaming service will be an Apple exclusive

HBO formally unveiled its HBO Now standalone streaming service on Monday, which will be bundled with a newly discounted Apple TV streaming box. HBO Now will cost $15 per month, and the first month will be free who those who sign up. The service will launch in early April, in time for the debut of the new season of Game of Thrones that will debut in the middle of the month. HBO representatives said that Apple will be the only non-paid television provider to offer HBO Now at launch for a period of three months. “This is a transformative moment for HBO, and we are very excited to launch HBO for you today,” said Richard Plepler, the chairman and chief executive of HBO, at what was expected to be the launch of the Apple Watch at an event in San Francisco on Monday. The service will ship with the Apple TV, which Apple has traditionally referred to as a “hobby”. Apple will receive “exclusive” access to HBO Now—of a sort. For three months, Apple TV will be the only non-pay TV provider to offer the service, an HBO representative said in an email. And HBO Now will be exclusive to Apple devices—Apple TV, the iPad, and the iPhone—at launch.