The Streaming Throne: Can HBO Win at Netflix's Game?

The launch of HBO's long-awaited Internet television service this week went past with little fanfare or scrutiny. By Sunday night, expect to hear about it—loudly—if HBO Now doesn't deliver on the promise of real-time streaming video for the return of Game of Thrones, a blockbuster swords-and-dragons series now in its fifth season.

The network's online-viewing operation has periodically crashed during heavily watched shows—disruptions marred episodes of Thrones and True Detective last year—but those problems affected HBO Go, a freebie service available only to cable-TV subscribers and their freeloading friends. HBO Now has opened the premium-cable door to a new demographic of digital customers who are paying handsomely to access its hottest shows. With a monthly rate of $14.99, significantly more than Netflix's typical $8.99 price, HBO has a lot riding on this test of its ability to handle a streaming surge.