Amazon Adds to Cord Cutters' Week With HBO and Cinemax Streaming Subscriptions

In a week packed with alternative-TV announcements appealing to cord cutters -- AT&T’s DirecTV Now streaming video launch (see 1611280058) and Netflix’ announcement of a download option for offline viewing (see 1611300010) -- Amazon kept pace with its Thursday announcement of a $14.99-per-month HBO subscription available to Prime members through Amazon Channels. It also announced a $9.99-per-month Cinemax subscription on Amazon Channels, joining Starz ($8.99), Showtime ($8.99) and other a la carte pay-TV channels as an alternative to cable. Amazon’s $15-per-month HBO subscription doesn’t affect the HBO streaming perk available for free to Amazon Prime subscribers, a company spokeswoman emailed us Thursday, and “nothing has changed with the HBO content that is available for free for Prime Members.” At launch, Amazon is offering a 30-day free trial for HBO and Cinemax vs. its typical seven-day free trial period. More than 80 subscriptions are available via Amazon Channels, a platform available on more than 650 devices, said Amazon.