There is no doubt that HBO is one of the biggest networks across the globe and since its launch in the '70s it has given viewers plenty of incredible content. Frankly, HBO is one of the most successful producers of television shows and hits such as Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Euphoria, and Sex and The City have surely become classics.
Today, we're taking a look at some facts that most people probably didn't know about HBO. From getting hacked in the '80s by a guy called Captain Midnight to breaking Emmy records and writing history with one of their shows — keep on scrolling to find out more about one of the most popular networks!
10 It Was Originally Called The Green Channel
Kicking the list off is the fact that HBO was originally called The Green Channel. Cable television advocate Charles Dolan realized that there is a market for a premium station offering movies and sporting events and after they got an investment from Time, Inc., The Green Channel was renamed to Home Box Office so that viewers would better understand what it offers.
9 Initially, HBO Was Only Nine Hours A Day On Air
HBO was launched in November 1972 — and almost for a whole decade, it provided programming only for nine hours out of the day. In 1981, HBO decided to offer 24-hour programming as their competitor Showtime was already doing it at the time and HBO wanted to match their competition.
8 The Channel Made History At The Emmys With 'The Sopranos'
HBO wrote history with their crime drama The Sopranos as no cable drama had ever been nominated for a Best Drama Series Emmy until The Sopranos premiered in 1999.
Season of the sopranos got 16 nominations — and throughout its entire run, the show was nominated 112 times, out of which it won 21 times.
7 Their Show 'Game Of Thrones' Holds The Record For Most Emmy Awards For A Drama Series
HBO is certainly no stranger to writing history — and their fantasy drama Game of Thrones holds the record for the most Emmy Awards for a drama series. Game of Thrones has been holding this record since September 22, 2019, when they won 12 awards raising their total to 59. This record is yet to be broken by another show!
6 HBO Became The First Television Channel In The World To Transmit Via Satellite
HBO is definitely a pioneer when it comes to television content and in September 1975 it also became the first television channel in the world to begin transmitting via satellite. HBO has been around since the 70s and over the past decades, it kept evolving and improving its services.
5 HBO’s First Live Event (Not Counting Sports) Was The 1973 Pennsylvania Polka Festival
While HBO has been streaming sports events since day one — in 1973 the Pennsylvania Polka Festival became the channel's first non-sporting event to air live. Unfortunately, after the event subscriber-ship fell from 14,000 that year to 8,000 the next one. Of course, this might not necessarily be linked to the Pennsylvania Polka Festival.
4 In 1985 Captain Midnight Hacked The Channel
On April 27, 1986, an electrical engineer and business owner called John R. MacDougall hacked the HBO satellite signal during the film The Falcon and the Snowman.
Under the pseudonym "Captain Midnight" he managed to share a message on the screen which broadcast for four and a half minutes — and was seen by the eastern half of the United States!
3 HBO Declined 'Mad Men'
HBO has certainly given us some incredibly unique and famous shows one that they passed on is Mad Men. Matthew Weiner — who worked as a writer and producer on The Sopranos — wrote Mad Men and his script was passed along to the executives at HBO. However, the channel decided to say no to the project and Mad Men was picked up in 2006 by AMC. It's safe to say that HBO certainly regretted this move, as Mad Men went on to become a super successful show!
2 In 2003, HBO's Movie 'Elephant' Was The First To Win An Award At The Cannes Film Festival
While HBO has been dominating the Emmy Awards, in 2003 the channel also had its breakthrough at the Cannes Film Festival. That year, its psychological drama Elephant received the Palme d'Or at the festival, and with that, it became the first HBO move to take home such a prestigious award. Elephant — which tells the story of a school shooting — currently has a 7.2 rating on IMDb.
1 And Lastly, HBO Max Is The Seventh Most Subscribed Streaming Service
And finally, wrapping the list up is the fact that HBO Max is the seventh most subscribed streaming platform in the world with a whopping 44.2 million subscribers. In front of it are only services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Tencent Video, iQIYI, Disney +, and Youku. Of course — considering that HBO tends to produce plenty of critically acclaimed content, this number is only bound to grow in the future.