HBO GO Expands Latin American Footprint With Launch In Colombia

HBO GO’s Latin American expansion continues today, with the service’s launch in Colombia. The debut there follows the launch of HBO GO in Brazil earlier this year, where it saw 177,000 visits in its first week. In Colombia, the service is being made available to HBO/MAX subscribers on MiDIRECTV, but HBO says that it’s working with other pay TV operators in the region for future roll-outs.

The move makes good on the company’s previously announced plans to bring the platform to all of the 23 countries where it operates in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Initially, HBO GO will only be available to Colombians via the web, but it will “soon” be available on tablets and mobile tablets as well, the company says. Unlike the launch in the Nordics region, there’s no option for an over-the-top offering here – viewers must pay for the package from their TV provider, the same as they do now in the U.S.

The online platform allows HBO GO viewers to create their own watchlists for favorite programs, view subtitles, and receive alerts through the “Series Pass” feature when new episodes are available.

The content line-up offers over 1,000 titles, including both new and popular HBO series like Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and Rome, as well as series produced in Latin America, like Mandrake, Capadocia and Prófugos. HBO will also use the platform to distribute third party content like Mad Men, Preamar, and House of Lies. Movies, documentaries, specials, and children’s programming will be available as well.

“Following the success in Brazil where, only weeks after its launch, HBO GO reached record numbers for access and streaming, we now launch in Colombia, giving our subscribers the opportunity to enjoy their favorite programs anytime, anyplace,” said Emilio Rubio, President of HBO Latin America Group.  “We are very proud to bring a product to Latin America that further enhances the HBO Premium entertainment experience in the region.”

To date, HBO GO has been launched in 11 countries outside the U.S. Brazil was the first in Latin America, and Colombia is the second.