Could Cord Cutters One Day Get a Crack at HBO?

It’s a cord-cutter’s dream: the chance to get HBO without having to pay for the full television package. Comments by HBO’s new chief executive, Richard Plepler, suggest that while a standalone HBO broadband offering won’t be available anytime soon, HBO may be at least pondering the possibility.

He made clear that an unwillingness to alienate HBO’s distributors – cable and satellite operators that carry the product – would prevent the channel from going direct to consumers anytime soon. But he also acknowledged that this means HBO is missing out on some potential customers. For the moment, he said, HBO needs to make the product so valuable “that it’s worth the subscription.” But then he dropped a subtle hint that HBO is internally debating the issue, mentioning that he wants to foster a corporate culture that allows for debate — including “an environment that challenges the status quo.”