The exclusive three-month deal between HBO Now and Apple ended on July 16, Thursday. This means that the standalone streaming service from HBO is now available for the Android platform as well as several Amazon devices.
HBO made the announcement on the same day the deal expired and added that for consumers to access the HBO Now service, a monthly subscription fee for $14.99 is required. Subscribing to HBO Now will give users access to HBO's hit TV series like "True Detective" and the award-winning "Game of Thrones."
According to Fortune, subscribers can also access new movies and other HBO TV series from the past. With the ending of the Apple deal, HBO Now will be available for smartphones and tablets running on the Android platform as well as Fire Tablets from Amazon. On top of that, nearly all Apple devices are support including the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.
According to The Verge, HBO also announced that the service will be released soon for Google Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV. There is also a possibility that the service will be release for the Android TV and Fire TV Stick in the future.
The release of HBO Now on the Android platform will open up a lot of potential for the service. Currently, there are more than 75 million Android users in the United States and this is an open market for HBO Now.
BTIG Research analyst Rich Greenfield estimates that there are more than 850,000 HBO Now subscribers and the figure will undoubtedly rise after the service was released on the Android platform. Greenfield's estimate was based on HBO Now's rank in iTunes and subscription via Apple TV.