Cord-cutters, rejoice: HBO is coming to Dish Network's $20-per-month TV service
Since Dish was able to reach a new distribution deal with Time Warner, which includes networks on the Turner Broadcasting system like TNT and TBS as well as HBO, Dish will now be able to offer content from HBO like "Girls" and "Game of Thrones."
According to WSJ, "Dish has also secured itself the option of selling HBO's standalone subscription video service, HBO Now." Even though Sling TV won't be allowed to offer HBO Now at launch - Apple is HBO's exclusive platform for the first three months on all non-TV hardware like set-top boxes and streaming sticks like Roku and Chromecast - it could soon support HBO's new service that doesn't require a cable subscription.
If you do have a cable subscription to HBO, you probably won't need to pay to watch that content on Sling TV. Non-cable customers, however, might have to pay extra to access HBO on Sling TV - likely somewhere between $5 and $15 (Sling usually charges $5 for extra content, but HBO said HBO Now would cost $15 a month).
It's unclear when Dish plans to introduce HBO to Sling TV, as the deal with Time Warner closed on Tuesday night. But, HBO plans to offer its HBO Now service sometime this month prior to the "Game of Thrones" season premiere on April 12. We've reached out to Dish Network and we'll update the story when we learn more.