Q. I want to see the new HBO show, Watchmen, which is based on the comic book. I loved the comic book! I don’t have HBO. Is there a way to watch Watchmen and get HBO without paying so much money? It’s $15 a month. — Justin, Corsicana, Texas.
Justin, you are right. HBO is now running a new TV series called Watchmen on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET. The show, which is based on the comic book, tells the story of an alternative universe where superheroes are treated as the bad guys. The nine-episode series, which stars Regina King, Don Johnson and Lou Gossett Jr, among many others, will run until December 15.
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HBO, whether it’s from a cable or satellite provider, or streamed online at HBO Now, does cost $15 a month. So, Justin, is there a cheaper way to get the premium channel so you can get your Watchmen fix?
Well, the cheapest way is to persuade someone who already has HBO to give you his or her user name and password. Yes, you could watch either the streaming edition of HBO, called HBO Now, or the pay TV version of the premium channel, called HBO Go, with someone’s user name and password.
Here’s how it works.
If a friend with a cable or satellite subscription has HBO, that person can get a user name and password from his pay TV service that also permits him to watch HBO Go, which can be viewed via an app or the HBO web site. And that friendly individual can give you the user name and password so you can watch HBO Go as well.
The same goes for HBO Now, which is the channel’s standalone streaming service.
Instead of paying $15 a month, you could get a HBO Now subscriber to give you her user name and password.
Now, you might be thinking there’s a catch, right?
Well, there is. While HBO has done little to discourage password sharing, some people believe it’s not ethical. After all, you are essentially cheating HBO out of $15 a month by getting it for free.
So, before ringing up that old friend who has HBO, you might want to ponder on that a bit.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
Why would you even suggest that somebody ask a friend or relative to willfully violate HBO’s intellectual property rights? You should have also made it clear that those who steal access that ethical and law abiding users pay for are helping to drive the prices up that they are too cheap to pay. I am not surprised at slackers who are too stupid to understand the economics and why providers are entitled to be paid to deliver content. Stealing TV programming is no different than walking into the grocery store and stealing milk because you think the price is too high.
You may have missed this paragraph:
“While HBO has done little to discourage password sharing, some people believe it’s not ethical. After all, you are essentially cheating HBO out of $15 a month by getting it for free.“
That’s your advice? Share passwords? Seriously? I have lost respect for you. If everyone did that the streaming services would have to charge double what the do now. Ridiculous.
Swanni, I totally agree with Ball Coach. Stealing is stealing. Whether you steal milk at the grocery or steal intellectual property from HBO. And stealing is wrong. Will you be next running an article giving tips on how to steal milk from a grocery store, that a reader can pass on to their “friend”?
You guys are MISSING Swanni’s point.
HBO is Charging a FORTUNE for Old Reruns.
AT&T has a LOCK on sharing HBO.
NO one considers sharing an OVER PRICE HBO subscription, stealing
It is just a way to tell AT&T to knock it off.
Bring the price DOWN to earth and let ANY Provider offer the service at a FAIR price.
How would you like some grocery store TELLING you you have to
PAY $ 50.00 a gallon for Milk. ?
and they were the ONLY source