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The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

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After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

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Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

1

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

2

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

3

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Arts & EntertainmentHBO

With 800,000 Subscribers HBO Now Is Still Catching up to Netflix

By
Ian Mount
Ian Mount
Madrid-based Editor
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By
Ian Mount
Ian Mount
Madrid-based Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 11, 2016, 10:26 AM ET
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It looks like a big number, but only at first glance.

In its first eight months of its existence, HBO signed up 800,000 paying subscribers for HBO Now, the streaming service designed for people who want to watch HBO content but don’t have, or want, traditional cable TV. That’s part of what made 2015 a “terrific year for subscriber growth,” with 2.7 million total subscribers added in the U.S., Richard Plepler, the chief executive of HBO, told analysts on Wednesday on an earnings call for Time Warner (TWX), which owns HBO.

HBO Now, which allows users to stream HBO content to internet connected devices, was launched last April exclusively on Apple devices. Now available on Chromecast, Android, Amazon, and other devices, it costs $14.99 a month.

But while the HBO Now 800,000 subscriber figure may seem high for just eight months, some analysts expected more.

After one analyst disparaged the number, Plepler replied, “I wouldn’t say ‘only’ 800,000. We’re just getting started.” Plepler said that the number was a good beginning considering that the service was still not available on popular devices like Xbox and Playstation, and still didn’t offer some HBO shows—such as Vice news—that are popular with the kind of young cord cutters who would be attracted to the service.

 

Plepler also said that HBO was not planning to lower HBO Now’s price to get more subscribers.

HBO Now has a long way to go to catch up with its streaming rivals, however. Netflix (NFLX) had 43.4 million paid streaming subscribers in the U.S. at the end of 2015, while at last count Hulu had around 9 million.

About the Author
By Ian MountMadrid-based Editor
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Ian Mount is a Madrid-based editor at Fortune.

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