Richard Plepler

Ten years ago, HBO and its then-CEO Richard Plepler had one of those problems that most media execs would kill for.

Ten years ago, HBO and its then-CEO Richard Plepler had one of those problems that most media execs would kill for.

Ten years ago, HBO and its then-CEO Richard Plepler had one of those problems that most media execs would kill for.

Things had gotten wild in Westeros. The Starks were on the run and the Lannisters were hanging on to power, barely.

Things had gotten wild in Westeros. The Starks were on the run and the Lannisters were hanging on to power, barely.

Things had gotten wild in Westeros. The Starks were on the run and the Lannisters were hanging on to power, barely.

In 2014, you could stream HBO's content online with HBO Go, but it wasn't the kind of streaming service we think of today. You actually had to have a cable subscription first or know somebody who did, which for some people started to feel like a secret code passed around through the Millennial Whisper Network.

In 2014, you could stream HBO's content online with HBO Go, but it wasn't the kind of streaming service we think of today. You actually had to have a cable subscription first or know somebody who did, which for some people started to feel like a secret code passed around through the Millennial Whisper Network.

In 2014, you could stream HBO's content online with HBO Go, but it wasn't the kind of streaming service we think of today. You actually had to have a cable subscription first or know somebody who did, which for some people started to feel like a secret code passed around through the Millennial Whisper Network.

This new generation was not getting coaxial cords drilled into their homes and paying large bills every month for the cable bundle plus premium channels. But they did want to watch HBO shows.

This new generation was not getting coaxial cords drilled into their homes and paying large bills every month for the cable bundle plus premium channels. But they did want to watch HBO shows.

This new generation was not getting coaxial cords drilled into their homes and paying large bills every month for the cable bundle plus premium channels. But they did want to watch HBO shows.

So HBO needed to create a streaming-only platform, something that could handle tons more traffic than HBO Go, something people could access without a cable sub. And the company wanted to do it all very quickly.

So HBO needed to create a streaming-only platform, something that could handle tons more traffic than HBO Go, something people could access without a cable sub. And the company wanted to do it all very quickly.

So HBO needed to create a streaming-only platform, something that could handle tons more traffic than HBO Go, something people could access without a cable sub. And the company wanted to do it all very quickly.

But HBO was not a tech company, so it needed to hire one to help, a company that knew how to take content and create a smooth, usable interface around it.

But HBO was not a tech company, so it needed to hire one to help, a company that knew how to take content and create a smooth, usable interface around it.

But HBO was not a tech company, so it needed to hire one to help, a company that knew how to take content and create a smooth, usable interface around it.

BAMTEC, which was just called BAM at the time, was known for streaming Major League Baseball. It knew how to handle big event television. It came with stellar recommendations. It was perfect. So Plepler hired the company to build what became HBO Now.

BAMTEC, which was just called BAM at the time, was known for streaming Major League Baseball. It knew how to handle big event television. It came with stellar recommendations. It was perfect. So Plepler hired the company to build what became HBO Now.