If you didn’t know this by now, HBO is no longer going to be just a Premium Cable Network. That’s so 2010. HBO in 2019 is a streaming network that is about to become one of the biggest around when WarnerMedia launches HBO Max next year. But to make the transition from a cable network to a streaming-first model, the company believes that people will want to sample the goods first. Enter, “Recommended By Humans.”
Today, HBO has officially unveiled its latest marketing tool, dubbed “Recommended By Humans,” which is a website that features real (paid) human fans that tell you why an HBO series is the best thing around. Want to hear what Kal thinks about “True Detective?” Well, you can click his face and he’ll tell you. Best of all, if Kal’s explanation is enough to convince you to give “True Detective” a shot, then HBO is here to provide the first episode free of charge.
That’s right, much like the big box stores like Costco, HBO is all about the free samples.
The network has included more than 50 free episodes of series like “Succession,” “Chernobyl,” “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” “The Righteous Gemstones,” “Game of Thrones,” “Sex and the City,” “The Sopranos,” “Bored to Death,” “The Wire” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” for your viewing pleasure. All you have to do is listen to the recommendation and give the first episode a try. And hopefully, at least in HBO’s mind, if you like what you see, you’ll fork out some money for the whole shebang.
Will “Recommended By Humans” lead to a huge influx of paid subscribers? Who knows? But we do know that people love free stuff. And if you’re someone who’s been on the fence about paying for HBO yourself, and you want to get a taste of what you can expect, then this might be just what you needed.
Here’s the full list of programs that are available on the new series (found here), with HBO saying that it will update the list as time goes on:
Below is the full list of programs* available to sample for free:
A Black Lady Sketch Show
Animals.
Ballers
Big Little Lies
Bored to Death
Carnivale
Chernobyl
Crashing
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Deadwood
Divorce
Eastbound & Down
Enlightened
Euphoria
Flight of the Conchords
Game of Thrones
Gentleman Jack
Girls
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Los Espookys
Mommy Dead and Dearest
My Brilliant Friend
Random Acts of Flyness
Sally4Ever
Sex and the City
Sharp Objects
Silicon Valley
Six Feet Under
Succession
The Comeback
The Deuce
The Jinx: The Life and Death of Robert Durst
The Larry Sanders Show
The Leftovers
The Night Of
The Normal Heart
The Sopranos
The Wire
The Young Pope
There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane
True Blood
True Detective
Veep
Vice Principals
Westworld