Cablevision to offer HBO NOW to online customers

Reuters
HBO CEO Richard Plepler speaks during an Apple event in San Francisco, California March 9, 2015. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

(Reuters) - Cable TV operator Cablevision Systems Inc said it would offer HBO's standalone streaming service, expected to premiere next month, to its Optimum Online internet customers. Apple Inc said last week that HBO Now would be available on its devices. HBO, Time Warner Inc's pay TV service, is expected to launch the new service in time for the fifth season of "Game of Thrones". The much-awaited next season of the hugely popular series premieres on April 12. Cablevision did not disclose terms of the agreement and said it plans to provide pricing details for HBO NOW in the coming weeks. The company's shares closed up 2 percent at $18.21 on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. (Reporting by Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru)