ABSTRACT
As a pay-cable network, HBO successfully differentiated itself in the marketplace from its inception by actively avoiding the production of standard generic programming that appears on commercial network television. Instead of the half-hour sitcom, the hour-long drama, and the mini-series, HBO broadcast live sports events from around the country and overseas along with commercialfree movies. With the addition of stand-up comedy specials featuring comedians such as George Carlin and Steve Martin to its schedule, HBO focused on bringing events that viewers had previously enjoyed outside of the home and were accustomed to paying for, into the comfort of one’s living room. However, with the advent of the video rental market and pay-per-view channels offering similar services, the programming tactics of the subscriptionbased service began to come under pressure. For HBO to attract new customers, retain loyal audiences, and increase market share in an increasingly competitive post-network era, it had to diversify its output. Thus, it began to develop original series programming.
