HBO Should Look Forward to Childbirth

HBO is not looking forward to the childbirth jokes. John Stankey,CEO of Warner Media,said they’ll be working harder in the coming year.

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HBO Should Look Forward to Childbirth
Home Box Office is not looking forward to the childbirth jokes. John Stankey, CEO of Warner Media, spoke to 150 HBO employees at a company townhall event. The short version is Stankey said they’ll be working harder in the coming year. "You will work very hard, and this next year will — my wife hates it when I say this — feel like childbirth…You'll look back on it and be very fond of it, but it's not going to feel great while you're in the middle of it." Stankey, believing that HBO isn’t profitable enough, has hinted that they need to increase their content to compete with streaming giants Netflix and Amazon. HBO, considering itself a boutique network, is not creating enough content to match the number of hours watched on other streaming services. To compete with Netflix and Amazon, Stankey desires an increase of hours watched per day as opposed to hours per week. Stankey wasn’t talking about a real pregnancy and childbirth. He was really calling for HBO to produce more content that appeals to a broader audience.

Can Home Box Office Produce?

Many of the biggest TV shows have found their home on HBO. The Sopranos, for example. Known for its gritty style, graphic violence, and nudity, The Sopranos landed 118 wins and 301 nominations over its six seasons. The show was more than mob violence, but a poignant portrayal of personal growth in maddening circumstances. If The Sopranos had been Home Box Office’s only hit then the argument would be easy. HBO didn’t stop with The Sopranos, however. Game of Thrones, Tru Blood, Sex in the City, WestWorld the list goes of examples of HBO putting out programming that consistently draws in a dedicated viewership. For Stankey to call for an expansion of their content offers is a dicey move. HBO has long enjoyed its position of “premier content” provider. The network fought to that spot by offering bold and edgy programming that one would only see in movies. Instead, HBO brought onto the small screen, for a monthly fee, every night. When HBO became known for their content, they spawned a host of other networks offering similar programming. Of course, they also charged a premium for it. If a viewer didn’t like the content, they simply didn’t have to pay to watch it. Problem solved. This tactic has sustained HBO…so far.

Are Netflix and Amazon Producing Something Better?

At the 2017 Emmys HBO had 111 total nominations. Netflix and Amazon had 91 and 16, respectively. When the awards ceremony was over, HBO walked away with 29 wins. Netflix? Twenty wins. Amazon? Two. Crunching the numbers, that means HBO had a success rate of 26% to Netflix’s 22% and Amazon’s 13%. Based on these numbers alone, there’s little argument that HBO is doing well compared to Netflix and Amazon. It’s not the number of awards that executives like Stankey are looking at. According to a 2017 survey by Morgan Stanley, respondents were asked; “Which service provides the best original programming?” 33% of respondents answered- Netflix. Amazon doesn’t seem to be in the fight much. They may just be biding their time. If HBO and Netflix are busy slugging it out, then Amazon could sit back, relax, and wait to pick off the exhausted winner when the fight does finally end. For now, HBO needs to contend not just with Netflix, but what they stand for – streaming original content, and lots of it. Although not all shows Netflix and Amazon offer end up being winners, they seem to be playing a numbers game; the more shows produced should eventually lead to a big hit, like Stranger Things. If HBO tries to play the game Netflix is playing HBO would lose. What HBO should be focusing on, instead, is to find a way to build upon their brand.

How can HBO win?

The childbirth metaphor is fitting given the amount of work that HBO is likely to take on in the coming years. A better metaphor for “winning” would be “Can HBO capture more attention than Netflix and Amazon?” Making a breakout show and keeping viewers aren’t always the same thing. There have been great shows that were rated poorly by critics. There have been terrible shows that critics loved. There have been shows that had one good season and then they die off soon after like Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom. For HBO to live up to Stankey’s request of creating content for a broader audience, the network will have to find a way of connecting to a much more diverse audience. Not every show can have gratuitous violence and nudity. They’ll have to watch their language as well. A challenge for sure, but not impossible. HBO has already found success by tapping into books. Game of Thrones, Big Little Lies, and Sharper Objects were all based on best-selling books. This tactic has worked for them so far. After all, if people like reading a book, they’ll likely want to watch it as a show. By expanding on this logic, Home Box Office can go a few steps further by looking beyond their usual picks and try different genres. What about a limited series based on books like The Dresden Files, Soon I Will Be Invincible, and Scot Harvath? It may be as simple as visiting the local Barnes & Noble and going to a different section.

HBO is About to Get Bigger

To fill Stankey’s order, as well as compete with Netflix and Amazon, HBO will have to expand. How they expand is entirely up to them. HBO can be as creative in this endeavor as they are with their content. The road ahead is uncharted. HBO should view this as an open invitation to really push the envelope and not a decree to create babies. And if Home Box Office is good at one thing- it’s pushing the envelope.
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What Is DSL internet? What are my internet options?

DSL internet is a digital subscriber line,and it allows you to access the internet over your phone lines. Along with cable,satellite,and ... Read More

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What Is DSL internet?  What are my internet options?

Update February 10, 2020   02/10/2020:  

Since we published this article several years ago not much has changed.  DSL internet is still available and unfortunately the only option for many Americans who are simply looking for high speed internet for their homes. Companies like AT&T, CenturyLink and Earthlink still offer DSL service.  Many customers are stranded looking for options to be able to stream their favorite shows from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon amongst other sources.  Since the latest speed test done across the country show that DSL only has the ability to operate at a speed of 1Mbps or less, DSL is simply not an option for today's internet user.  

There is good news for folks who are either moving to a new area looking to set up service and find DSL is one of the only options or existing DSL customer from AT&T, CenturyLink and Earthlink who are simply not getting the speed, and service they are looking for.  Viasat Satellite internet service and HughesNet satellite internet service offer speeds almost 25x higher and give many customers a truly high speed internet option.  Check out to see if you have better options in your area by using our zip code lookup tool here Zip Code Lookup Tool



DSL internet is a digital subscriber line, and it allows you to access the internet over your phone lines. Along with cable, satellite, and fiber optics, DSL is one of the four main types of connections used by internet service providers.

How Does DSL Internet Work?

Traditional phones lines are made of copper wires that carry analog signals. When you talk on a landline phone, the acoustics of your conversation are converted into analog signals that run along the phone wires. Similarly, these wires can also carry analog signals from computer to computer. However, you need a modem to convert the analog signals into digital signals. Finally, subscriber line simply refers to the fact that you subscribe or pay a monthly fee to access the line.

Can You Use the Phone With DSL?

In the early days of internet popularity, dial-up service also used phone lines to carry the internet into your home. With these old systems, however, you could not use the phone at the same time as the internet. With DSL, that has changed. The signal is split coming into your home, allowing you to access the internet and use your landline at the same time.

How Fast Is DSL Internet?

The telephone companies that offer DLS internet use digital subscriber line access multiplexers -- imagine a small building full of constantly buzzing equipment and servers. These multiplexers connect to a network to access data, and from there, the data is forwarded to individual subscribers. In most cases, to get DSL internet, you must be within a certain distance of the multiplexer, and generally, the closer you are the faster your internet service is. DSL speeds range from 128 kbps to 12 Mbps. However, in some cases, you can get DSL speeds up to 20 Mbps or even 40 Mbps — those speeds are typically only available in areas where the existing phone lines have been reinforced or bolstered with fiber optics.

Can You Bundle DSL Internet?

Generally, phone companies offer DSL. For example, AT&T, CenturyLink, Verizon, and Frontier Communications all offer DSL internet as well as phone service. In most cases, if you want to have DSL and a landline, you have to get both services from the same company. However, discounts for booking multiple services is standard practice in the industry. Some DSL providers also pair with television, cell phone companies, and others to offer bundling discounts.

Where Is DSL Available?

DSL service is available around the county. However, it is not strictly available everywhere that has phone lines. As indicated above, the service can only work in areas where the phone company has invested in digital subscriber line access multiplexers and upgrading the phone lines as necessary. If DSL is offered in your area, you may want to consider it. Compare the price with other options, and then, make sure the potential internet speeds are up to your needs. For more on internet speeds, check out our post "What Internet Speed Do You Need?".