In what is pretty big news for Google Fiber customers, future Google Fiber customers, and, most importantly, competing cable companies, Google has just patched a glaring hole in their cable offerings by adding HBO to the mix.
“Jon Snow. Hannah Horvath. Sookie Stackhouse. If any of these names ring a bell for you, then you’re going to be very happy to hear that we’ve just added HBO to our TV lineup. Starting today, our Google Fiber TV customers will be able to add on our new HBO package to their plan for $20/month (plus tax). The plan will include HBO, HBO2, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Latino, HBO Comedy, and HBO Zone,” says Product Head Larry Yang on the Google Fiber blog.
Not only HBO, but Google Fiber is now offering Cinemax (Max, MoreMax, ActionMax, ThrillerMax, WMax, @Max, 5-StarMax, and OuterMax) for $10 a month.
Google Fiber already offered Showtime and Starz for $10 a month, and now if you want to get all four premium channels you can do so for $40. If you were planning to get all four anyway, this saves you $10 a month on the HBO.
In all, this means that you can get Google’s 1 Gbps internet + TV and 4 premium channels (including HBO) for $160 a month in Kansas City (and soon, Austin). Talk to plenty of cable subscribers and you’ll find that that’s not a bad deal, comparatively.
Google hopes to start construction on Fiber in Austin in 2014, and should have their first customers up and running by the middle of that year.