Comcast is on a mission to make sure owners of the Sony PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 are restricted from accessing content on the available HBO Go apps. The problem has been around for quite some time, but some PS4 owners thought the issue would have been rectified with the availability of the new app.
The likes of Time Warner Cable, AT&T, and Direct TV all allows consumers to use HBO Go on any device without restrictions, but this isn’t the case for Comcast. According to a Comcast spokesperson, the whole debacle is a business decision, but with the amount of consumers purchasing PS4’s, we doubt this “business decision” will hold for long.
“HBO Go availability on PS3 (and some other devices) are business decisions and deal with business terms that have not yet been agreed to between the parties. Thanks for your continued patience.” A company spokesperson said on a Comcast forum.
Things are getting quite heated as many PS4 owners have taken to Twitter and Change.org to petition Comcast in supporting HBO Go on their video game console of choice. We’re not certain if these protests will help, but we are certain that HBO and PlayStation 4 fans are not pleased.
“I’m a little frustrated,” says Rob Stevens, to The Huffington Post. “Obviously when I’m paying for a service I want to be able to get it on any device. Having the service locked to a specific device seems like backward thinking to me.”
While the HBO Go service is great, it is backwards when compared to Netflix or even Hulu Plus. For some reason, HBO has designed the app to require an authentication from the user’s service provider for it to work.
However, change might be on the horizon before the end of the year as HBO stated in the past that it planned to release a standalone app that bypasses cable and network providers altogether.
Source: [Huffington Post]
