A complete guide to sharing HBO passwords

We are in April and a very specific thrill hovers in the air: Game of thrones Season 8 is about to start and your tragic donkey does not have an HBO account.

Fortunately, you certainly know someone you know Is have an account. So the only real question is how cool HBO is with people who share passwords. The short answer? Kinda. The long answer? Well, we'll get there.

The first episode of the last season of Game of thrones should fall on April 14, when many people will remember that they do not have access to HBO content. No cable package, no HBO GO, and no HBO NOW. And, just as fast, they will remember that a friend knows it.

Problem solved, no? An SMS or a phone call later, and your account shares your way to TV.

Not so fast.

The network has policies that cover this situation and, unfortunately for you, they may not be supportive. Fortunately, we are here to help you sort through the madness and determine when you can share. After all, no one wants you to hack this damn thing.

Wait, what is HBO NOW again?

Before going into details, it should be noted the distinction between HBO NOW and HBO GO. HBO NOW is a standalone streaming service at $ 14.99 per month that you pay regardless of any cable subscription. HBO GO, on the other hand, is the broadcast element of your cable HBO package.

A look at the company's website suggests that the account sharing policies of both services are identical, and an HBO spokesperson confirmed by e-mail that at least some of the services offered by the HBO have been approved. between them – such as the number of simultaneous streams you can have and which, technically, has an account. is "for" – match up.

These details, as well as the public information already available in the world, are enough to give us a pretty good idea from the point of view of society on what is or is not in free mode.

Define a household

Image: HELEN SLOANE / HBO

Despite what you think, HBO does not prohibit account sharing. Instead, the company's policies seek to limit it in a rather opaque manner.

"Your HBO NOW NOW email and password should not be shared with people outside your home," reads the HBO NOW help center.

Note that this statement implies that people share their HBO NOW e-mail address and password in their homes. But what is a household, exactly, in HBO's eyes? Does it mean three adults sharing an apartment, parents and their missing children in college, or both, or something else?

HBO provided some clarification. A spokesman confirmed that "an account is for household residents" and noted that a "college student temporarily absent from home would be included". We asked if a group of adult roommates living together counted as a household – which we imagine they would – but unfortunately, we did not have an answer to this question.

It is important to note that the fact that students in the dormitories are a reasonable game to make fun of their parents suggests that being in far away places is not a disqualifying factor. .

Yup, several devices are going well

HBO is totally cool with different devices on the same account streaming their sweet Game of thrones content simultaneously. You just have to convince the members of your household that you are a trustworthy person because, according to the aforementioned spokesperson, "the use is limited to 3 simultaneous streams".

The use is limited to 3 simultaneous streams

In other words, keep this password locked or one night, you risk being the fourth person trying to watch a show.

"If you share your HBO NOW email address and password," says the Help Center, "you may not be able to watch HBO NOW because too many people are using your account at the same time."

It makes sense. HBO is encouraged to keep account sharing to a minimum while avoiding alienating paying customers who go to separate rooms to watch different shows because they can not stand near other members of their household.

Look far

HBO would certainly like everyone to pay a high price for its streaming services. However, in the stone age of 2014, then-CEO Richard Plepler told BuzzFeed that he sees account sharing as "a great marketing tool for the next generation of viewers."

It's unclear whether Plepler's subsequent departure and the new HBO AT & T lords mean that the reality has changed, but the fantasy world of Game of thrones It's not exactly about embracing reality.

So enjoy the warmth of the household account this April 14th and keep telling you that winter with HBO sharing will never come. It will probably work very well.