Blue Ridge Communications, the 23rd-largest cable operator in the U.S., has signed on to offer HBO's HBO Go and Max Go authenticated online video destinations to subscribers.
The Palmerton, Pa.-based cable operator has 20,500 customers who subscribe to HBO and/or Cinemax service. Those subs now have unlimited access to some 1,400 titles on HBO Go and 400-plus on Max Go via a broadband-connected computer, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, certain Android devices, Roku set-tops and some models of Samsung Smart TVs.
"We're very excited to be one of the first independent operators in the country to launch HBO and Max Go," Blue Ridge corporate director of marketing and customer service Joe Lorah said in a statement. "These new services will give our customers more choices, more content and more control on when and where they view their HBO and Cinemax programs."
HBO has deals for the TV Everywhere services with operators representing more than 98% of U.S. pay-TV customers. Affiliates that offer HBO Go include Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Dish Network, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Suddenlink Communications, AT&T U-verse, Verizon FiOS TV, RCN and WideOpenWest.
Cablevision Systems -- which like TWC had negotiated with HBO for more than year on the TV Everywhere front -- announced an agreement in December to offer HBO Go "in the next few months."
However, not all affiliates provide access to the HBO services across all devices. Comcast, DirecTV and Time Warner Cable currently do not let customers log in to HBO Go on Roku boxes, while Comcast and TWC have not given the go-ahead for Samsung TVs.
Blue Ridge's HBO and Cinemax subscribers can go to HBOGo.com, MaxGo.com or mybrctv.com and sign in with their Blue Ridge user ID and password.
