HBO blasts NPD study, says TV subscriptions are on the rise

Kelly Macdonald and Steve Buscemi are seen in the first episode of the third season of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire."

(Credit:HBO)

No, streaming video services aren't eating traditional TV's lunch.

That's according to a representative for HBO and Cinemax, who blasted a recent NPD study that claimed TV subscriptions were on the decline over the past two years as streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu Plus were on the rise.

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"The research is simply incorrect," said Jeff Cusson, a representative for HBO. Both pay-TV networks are owned by Time Warner.

The Los Angeles Times was the first to report the network's comments, which included similar statements from Showtime (a unit of CBS, which also owns CNET), and Starz.

HBO told CNET that both pay-TV networks have shown significant domestic subscriber growth over the past two years. Time Warner reported adding 1.9 million domestic subscribers to HBO and Cinemax in 2012, and expects similar numbers for 2013.

Likewise, Starz later responded to CNET and pointed out the strong subscriber growth of Starz and Encore.

The Hollywood Reporter noted that the NPD report no longer appears on NPD's Web site.

CNET contacted NPD for comment, and we'll update the story when the firm responds.

Topics: Entertainment Tags: NPD, streaming, HBO, Cinemax, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Starz, Showtime

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