Members of the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) soon will be able to add HBO to their programming lineup.
The co-op, which represents rural video providers, said Wednesday it has landed a deal with the studio that produces shows including “Entourage” and “Big Love.”
NRTC members will have the rights to distribute all 26 HBO and Cinemax MPEG-2 standard-definition feeds, and all 26 HBO and Cinemax MPEG-4 high-definition feeds, to subscribers via MPEG-4.
That’s been a contentious point between organizations such as NRTC and TV studios. Studios have feared early versions of the MPEG standard would lead to piracy and other illegal misuses of their copyrighted content. But the protocol’s fourth generation seems to have addressed those concerns.
NRTC members also will have subscription VoD rights for the HBO and Cinemax services.
