BT TV will become the first pay-TV provider in the UK to offer customers the buy-to-keep box set of Game of Thrones and other premium programmes through a partnership with HBO Home Entertainment. This positions BT as a rival to Sky, which has had exclusive rights to show most of HBO’s output in the UK. Sky TV and Now TV are still first to get the new episodes, although seasons one to four are currently not available to watch on-demand.
BT’s new deal with HBO Home Entertainment means customers can download to own HBO programmes including Game of Thrones, Entourage, and the first season of crime drama TrueDetective. Additional HBO programmes will be added throughout the year.
All episodes can be viewed on BT TV’s set-top boxes and are automatically available for customers to watch on their smartphones, tablets or PCs.
“This is yet another fantastic first for our customers,” said Alex Green, director of BT TV. “We are committed to offering the widest choice of on-demand and live content, with pricing and flexibility to suit all our customers. The new deal with HBO comes at the perfect time for people who want to catch up with world-class TV shows over the long bank holiday weekend. But of course you get to keep them so you can watch over and over again.”
Sofia Chang, executive vice president and general manager, HBO home entertainment, added: “We are excited to extend our digital footprint in the UK by making our content available to BT TV customers. More and more fans are looking to own their favourite programmes digitally and this is another step for HBO Home Entertainment to expand its reach in this important market.”
