HBO Now

Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones. In conclusion, Game of Thrones.

So February is almost upon us, and that means it’s time to make Valentine’s Day plans. Because I’ve got a newborn baby at home (and because I’ve always been cheap and lazy), this year I’ll probably sit at home and watch movies with my wife. If you’d like to go that route too, HBO NOW has plenty of appropriate options to choose from, including the single most romantic movie of 2015, Magic Mike XXL. What could possibly be more romantic than Joe Manganiello grinding a gas station soda machine? (I’m drawing a blank, but that might be because I keep getting distracted by Manganiello’s abs.)

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. But in lieu of Yuletide carols, maybe’ll give or receive an HBO NOW subscription this holiday season. If so, you’re definitely going to want to read the latest update of what’s coming to and leaving HBO’s stand-alone streaming service this December.

Things are about to get kinky on HBO NOW for the month of November. Fifty Shades of Grey arrives on HBO’s new streaming service on November 21, in both rated and unrated cuts. (My sources tell me the unrated version contains at least six additional shades of Grey!) Other new movies include the awesome spy pastiche Kingsman: The Secret Service, and Liam Neeson’s latest action vehicle, Run All Night.

It’s a big month for new releases on HBO’s new streaming service, HBO NOW. They’ve got 2014’s box-office champ, American Sniper, along with Liam Neeson in Taken 3 and Will Smith in Focus (which was an underrated movie). Plus it wouldn’t be October without some scary movies; HBO NOW’s adding The Purge: Anarchy, Trick ’R Treat, House on Haunted Hill, and, for those who need additional houses on haunted hills, Return to House on Haunted Hill.

A few weeks back, we’d heard rumblings that Hulu might finally take the plunge into an ad-free subscription tier, as many streaming outlets broaden their availability, and now the service has officially confirmed. That said, how much will it cost you to enjoy Hulu programming without having to break for any ads?

Aspiring filmmakers. Androids. Cheerleaders. Olympic figure skaters. Dr. Frank N. Furter. Moses.

More and more cord-cutting seems to prove a viable option, especially now that HBO has made the leap to offer its own independent streaming-service, beginning with Apple this spring. Now, a new report suggests Apple will plan its own independent streaming platform for approximately 25 channels, due to become available this fall.

After years of complaining from people who didn’t have or couldn’t afford cable (or whose parents refused to give them their HBO Go password), HBO is finally delivering a standalone streaming service, HBO Now. Today, the company announced some of its availability details, including pricing and when and where it will be available.

What do we want? A standalone HBO streaming service! When do we want it? Now! And that’s what makes the name of HBO’s highly anticipated and long-promised standalone service so appropriate. HBO Now is officially on its way, and the company has revealed new details, including a very reasonable subscription price. But those of you with cable who already pay for an HBO subscription may find that switching over would be a tad useless.