As of today, HBO content is available for download at the iTunes store. Of course, the addition of the mighty HBO to iTunes is news in and of itself, but what’s more interesting here is that HBO is the first network to charge $2.99 per episode for an iTunes TV download (it should be noted, that only some, but not all of the HBO shows are priced at $2.99). In the short term, people might be happy about the addition of this high quality content to the iTunes library, but as the The Hollywood Reporter article points out, it seems like it will only be a matter of time before other networks renegotiate their pricing structure with Apple, which will invariably to higher prices across the board.

HBO will become the first TV network to charge more than the standard $1.99 per episode on Apple’s iTunes.

The network announced Tuesday that a wide range of programs would be made available on iTunes, with “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood” and “Rome” going for $2.99 per episode. “Sex and the City,” “Flight of the Conchords” and “The Wire” go for $1.99.

Forthcoming episodes of currently running series will go day-and-date with their DVD releases.

Still unknown is whether the network is getting a higher revenue split than other iTunes partners. [THR.com]

Premium cable channel HBO is set to finally offer its wares on the Internet, but only to those who are already part of the “Time Warner Family”. This is kind of good news for me because I recently dropped HBO-ver, but I’m still a Roadrunner subscriber.

HBO on Broadband, as the service is called, will roll out in Green Bay and Milwaukee, Wis., tomorrow - and in other markets shortly thereafter - with the caveat that consumers able to access the service are either HBO subscribers or customers of the high-speed Internet service offered by their local cable operator.
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Subscribers to HBO or the high-speed Internet service won’t be charged extra for HBO on Broadband. However, all others will have to pay a fee.
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HBO on Broadband will offer 600 titles and 400 hours of downloadable content, including movies, documentaries and original series like “The Sopranos” and “Six Feet Under.”

Every month the service will offer the entire set of an HBO series. The service will also feature sample episodes from every HBO original series as well as a “bridge series” ahead of a new season of a given show. [NYPost.com]

New York Magazine has an interview with Time Warner head honcho Jeff Bewkes over here.