Home Box Office

Home Box Office

Home Box Office, or more commonly HBO for short, is a pay cable television network in the United States, playing Hollywood movies, its own full-length feature films and weekly series, including the very popular The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Arliss. HBO also occasionally broadcasts boxing matches under the banner name HBO Boxing.

HBO was the first cable network to originate as a non-terrestrial broadcast TV network. HBO went on the air in 1965 and was originally transmitted via terrestrial microwave towers. In 1976, HBO became the first TV network to broadcast its signals via satellite when it showed the "Thrilla From Manila" boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. In 1986, HBO also became the first satellite network to encrypt its signal from unauthorized viewing. Later, HBO was one of the first cable TV networks to broadcast an HDTV version of its channel.

HBO has also developed a reputation for offering very high quality original programming. HBO is a subscription-only service and does not carry normal commercials; both of these factors relieve HBO from pressures to tone down controvesial aspects in their programs.

HBO is currently owned by Time Warner.