HBO Go Finally Comes To Chromecast

The world's most popular pay-TV service has finally brought its streaming video app to Chromecast. Google GOOG announced the app's inclusion on its official Chrome blog, reminding Game of Thrones fans everywhere that "Winter is Coming!" Similar to Netflix NFLX, HBO Go offers a rotating collection of movies. The app's film selection is much greater than the movies that HBO offers through on-demand cable services, but the network recently increased the number of movies provided to Comcast CMCSA subscribers. Movies may be attractive to some users, but most HBO subscribers come to the service for one reason only: the original programming. While this does include the occasional film, HBO is best known for series like The Sopranos, True Blood, Sex and the City and Game of Thrones. The network is also home to successful mini-series, such as Band of Brothers, and niche comedies like Bored to Death. All of these shows can be watched in their entirety on HBO Go (up to the most recent episode) at any time. Users do not have to worry that an episode will "expire" after a few weeks as they do on Hulu. If a show is successful enough to make it past one season on HBO, there's a good chance it will appear on HBO Go forever. There are 49 shows and mini-series currently available on HBO Go. The service also features 283 movies, 40 comedy specials, 109 sports videos and 124 documentaries. While HBO Go is readily available to those with an iOS or Android device, Time Warner TWX has been very careful in choosing which TV-connected devices to support. As of today, there are still only a handful of ways to watch HBO Go on the big screen. Aside from Chromecast, users can log in with Xbox 360, Roku and select Samsung smart TVs. Comcast does not support HBO Go on Roku, however, limiting access for some users. Related: Is Google Chromecast Going Global? Microsoft's MSFT Xbox One is expected to receive HBO Go as well, though it is not clear when it will arrive. HBO Go never came to PlayStation 3. It is not yet known if Sony's SNE latest console, PlayStation 4, will ever receive the app. Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Louis Bedigian had no position in the equities mentioned in this report. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ