HBO GO crumbles under the pressure of Game of Thrones demand

By Mike Flacy April 7, 2014

game-of-thrones-season-4

Just a few weeks after HBO GO crashed as subscribers attempted to watch the season finale of True Detective, HBO customers were again frustrated last night when attempting to watch the season four premiere episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones. HBO indicated that overwhelming demand was the cause for the failure in performance in both cases, but it’s not clear if HBO took steps to improve performance after the original failure during early March. According to representatives of the premium network, HBO GO service was restored around midnight on the East Coast.

However, it’s possible that HBO was unable to anticipate how many people would be watching the streaming version of the episode online. Due to HBO’s relaxed policy about password sharing, subscribers often share authorization to watch HBO on digital devices with family and friends. HBO CEO Richard Plepler indicated that he wasn’t particularly concerned with the practice, but it appears as if the policy backfires on the company during highly anticipated premieres.

PS3 HBO Go

Outpacing the season finale of The Sopranos in 2007, last night’s season four premiere of Game of Thrones became HBO’s most-watched episode of television with 6.6 million viewers. It’s likely that HBO will need to significantly increase capacity this week in order to stabilize the service before the next episode on April 13.

Interestingly, HBO is expanding a bit on digital distribution strategy this week by allowing both Xbox 360 and Xbox One users to watch the first episode of season four for free. Available on Xbox Video between April 8 and April 14, Xbox users don’t need to be a subscriber to a premium cable service in order to watch the first episode. Of course, the following episodes will require a subscription to HBO, thus the freebie acts as a way to generate new subscriptions for the network.

Topics

Contributing Editor

By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…

Audio / Video

HBO Go vs. HBO Max

HBO has long been a hub for premium content, and its streaming services, HBO Go and HBO Now, have made that high-quality content more available than ever. From Westworld to Westeros to Newark, New Jersey, HBO subscribers can experience new worlds and gripping stories on just about all of their devices, from streaming devices to PlayStation 4.

Now, however, the rich are getting richer. HBO Max, launching May 27, 2020, will offer yet another content streaming option, and one that is far more extensive than the largely similar HBO Go and HBO Now. Rather than a sibling to the two previous services, HBO Max is more like the family's favorite youngest cousin.

Audio / Video

HBO Go and HBO Now vs. Disney+: Which one should you get?

character inspiration real tony soprano the sopranos hbo

Disney+ is like the HBO of old. It’s a great place to find some of the best movies ever made, as well as a small selection of top-tier original series. HBO is, well, HBO, a premium cable channel with a streaming component that keeps cranking out hit after hit after hit. Both generate tons of buzz. Both are worth your money.

Still, there’s not enough time to watch everything, and not every streaming service will fit your budget. It’s painful, but something has to give. Oh, just because the choice between HBO and Disney+ isn’t hard enough already -- don’t forget, HBO Max is still waiting in the wings.
Content
Disney+ is the new online repository for everything that Disney owns. That is, quite simply, a lot. Naturally, Disney+ has all of Disney’s classic animated features, its family-oriented live-action films, its vintage cartoon shorts, and a whole bunch of Disney Channel original series and movies, but thanks to corporate synergy it’s also the new, exclusive home for the Star Wars movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Simpsons, Pixar, and plenty more.

Audio / Video

There’s a rare deal on the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones today

Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones seen in black.

The massively popular Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones rarely appear in headphone deals, so if you've had your eye on them for quite a while, you're in luck because they're currently $51 off on Walmart. From their original price of $400, you'll only have to pay $349, but only if you hurry because we don't expect stocks to last long. You're going to miss out on the offer if you take too long, so don't hesitate -- add the wireless headphones to your cart and check out as fast as you can.

Why you should buy the Sony WH-1000XM5
The best headphones that you can buy right now are the Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones, and it's not even close. At the heart is their outstanding wireless sound, supported by top-quality active noise cancellation that uses two processors and eight microphones to block all unwanted sound, as well as crystal-clear hands-free calling using four beamforming microphones and advanced audio signal processing. The wireless headphones also offer Bluetooth multipoint connection so that you can quickly switch between different devices, touch controls for functions like adjusting volume and calling your digital assistant, and Speak-to-Chat and Quick Attention features to stop your music and let ambient sound in without having to take them off.