HBO Go mix-up opens door for streaming service to be included in on-campus housing costs

Illustration by: Rebecca Kottke

The retraction of the streaming service HBO Go from student and faculty usage has sparked confusion regarding who was supposed to receive it in the first place.

The problem was identified in late September when complaints began to filter in regarding accessibility to the streaming service. The Twin Cities campus offered the service to students of the school who paid on-campus housing. It was not meant to be used by any of the other U of M campuses.

When the Twin Cities housing office set up the contract with their cable provider, they opened up the authentication too wide and allowed the Duluth campus to access the service, along with alumni and faculty.

Delaney Anderson, a first year student who pays for on-campus housing, had expected to be able to use the streaming service, and said that some of her friends were already halfway through shows by the time it was retracted.

“If they were to offer HBO Go again, I would definitely take advantage of that,” she said.

Director of ITSS Jason Davis said that the Duluth campus is now exploring options to offer HBO Go to students who pay for on-campus housing as a result of the incident and the popularity of the streaming service among students.

“Since then, we have explored options with a vendor that housing uses here at UMD, and we’ve asked if this could be a benefit for students,” Davis said.

A contract with the vendor to offer HBO Go to students at UMD who pay for on-campus housing is in the works. Cable is included in on-campus housing costs, and those costs will also cover streaming services like HBO Go. Tuition costs do not include these amenities.