HBO to finally let you watch shows online on HBO GO without cable subscription

Starting in 2015, HBO is going to allow US viewers to watch content on HBO Go without the need to subscribe to its cable service.

The move has been a long time coming, with CEO Richard Plepler saying that the "standalone, over-the-top" service will be "transformative for our company".

As yet there are no specific details on prices or whether internet subscribers will get access to the same content as cable customers, but Plepler said HBO will "work with current partners and explore models with new partners."

"All in, there are 80 million homes that do not have HBO and we will use all means at our disposal to go after them," he said, declaring that it is "time to remove all barriers to those want HBO."

The move makes total sense given the popularity of purely online services like Netflix, with TV ratings dwindling and streaming audiences only growing.

Transitions like this are the beginning of the end for television as we know it, with traditional broadcast being relied upon less and less especially by younger audiences.