Streaming is particularly hard for live events. Experts point out that the Internet just wasn’t built as a way to provide real-time television to millions of people. HBO’s challenge isn't quite as severe as live sports. A new episode of Game of Thrones will prompt a large proportion of users to sign on and request that one piece of content in unison. But HBO has the advantage of knowing exactly when that will happen. Unlike live events, HBO Now doesn’t have to pull a video feed in real time from, say, a television truck parked outside an arena. The company can prepare the content itself, allowing the bloody exploits of Westeros to arrive onto its servers several days before an episode premiers.
HBO has tried to make its task easier by limiting the scope of this launch. HBO Now is available only on Apple devices, reducing the number of people pinging its servers on Sunday night. That relationship with Apple also means there will be less variety in the types of devices used by viewers, removing another layer of complexity. “That’s a very common strategy,” says Don Bowman, chief technical officer of network management firm Sandvine.
