PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Comcast is testing consumer reaction to offering HBO sans a package of other cable, the U.S. cable provider said.
The nation's No. 1 cable operator, based in Philadelphia, confirmed it launched a trial offer of "Internet Plus," which includes broadcast TV, video-on-demand, HBO and HBO Go, and 25-Mbps broadband, Variety reported Friday.
Subscribers also get access to Streampix, Comcast's Netflix-style multiscreen video-on-demand service.
Depending on the market the Internet Plus bundle costs $39.99 or $49.99 for 12 months, then goes up to $69.99 or $79.99 after that.
Variety said it was the first time a major pay-TV distributor is offering HBO outside of basic cable packages, with broadband as the primary service and touting any-screen access to TV shows.
The multiple-system operator is barred by federal regulations from offering cable channels such as HBO without also including broadcast networks. HBO executives have said they won't offer HBO Go as a direct-to-consumer service.
