Amazon Signs HBO to Exclusive Deal to Stream Premium Channel’s Classic Shows

Washington Informer April 24, 2014

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In this file photo, originally released by HBO in 2007, Edie Falco portrays Carmela Soprano and James Gandolfini is Tony Soprano in a scene from one of the last episodes of the hit HBO dramatic series "The Sopranos." Amazon is teaming up with HBO, the first such streaming arrangement agreed to by the cable network, in a deal that will make available to Amazon Prime members some classic TV like "The Sopranos" and "The Wire." (AP Photo/HBO, Craig Blankenhorn, File)

[The Washington Post]

Amazon.com and HBO announced Wednesday that they’ve locked up a deal to put some of the premium cable channel’s most iconic shows on Amazon’s Prime Video service. The shows will start appearing on the service from May 21, the companies said in a release.

Before you get too excited, you should know HBO isn’t giving away its whole catalog: It’s up to HBO to decide which shows will be available on Prime, and shows will only become part of the Prime trove three years after their initial airing.

So “Game of Thrones” fans, for example, won’t have access to those early days when their favorite characters were single and alive as part of the deal announced Wednesday.

But the catalog of shows is still solid, with offerings such as the full runs of “The Sopranos,” “The Wire” and even select seasons of newer shows such as “Boardwalk Empire” and “True Blood.”