That depends, the article mentions Amazon Prime which implies these episodes are free to watch after you have a subscription. If that's true it just means the author is confusing streaming and "cheap subscription services." iTunes is just like buying a DVD except on your computer, so that's not exactly "special."

Yeah, "streaming video service" isn't the right term, since the places where you purchase videos also let you stream them, but I don't know what a better term is. Netflix calls themselves an "Internet television network" but that kind of makes me gag.

Edit: Actually, the Amazon press release uses "online-only subscription streaming service", which does the job.

>first time

At one point "Arli$$" (a HBO show from the 90s) used to be on Netflix streaming.

And so has Amazon Streaming, but you needed to purchase it. I guess what's new is that some stuff will be free to prime members.

I can watch any episode of Game of Thrones and stream the new episodes as they broadcast live on TV with Sky Now in the UK. £5.99 a month.

Note that they are called Now TV, not Sky Now, thought they are a Sky service. (No Sky subscription needed.)

Yeah you're correct. I keep getting it confused with Sky Go.

I watched Game of Thrones live on Now TV and the adverts where a nasty surprise. You forget how much broadcast TV damages the content with ads. It would not surprise me if in five years time TV was exactly the same as it always was, just transported differently.

Game of Thrones (and all HBO shows) are not broadcast in the US with commercials; do they edit in commercial breaks in semi-random spots (or just pre/post-roll)? How much time do they add per hour?

Every ten minutes or so I think. It adds twenty minutes to the length.

Yeah It's really weird seeing adverts, feels like Sky double dipping to me.

To be fair to Sky though when Now TV went down last week they gave us a free month to make up for it.

The article also mentions that.

> That’s not entirely new territory for HBO, which already sells digital versions of its older shows — including Game of Thrones — via outlets like Amazon and Apple’s iTunes store.

Now TV (www.nowtv.com) does have Game of Thrones with a subscription model.

(UK only, but that shouldn't stop you!)

Now TV is owned by Sky, who have an exclusive on all HBO content in the UK.

The Variety article about this deal uses the term "SVOD", or Subscription Video On Demand.

http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/hbo-cuts-exclusive-lice...

As does blinkbox.com in the UK

They are talking about ala carte streaming, not pay per episode content.

Isn't paying per episode the very epitome of a la carte pricing?

I should have said all you can eat for a flat fee. There you go.