HBO Content Is Coming To Amazon Prime Instant Video Including ‘Sopranos’ And ‘The Wire’

Classic HBO programming will soon be available on Amazon Prime Instant Video. The two companies announced the programming deal this morning. The first set of programming will hit the video streaming service starting on May 21. HBO Go will also finally hit the Amazon Fire TV by the end of 2014.

The programming list includes The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Big Love, Deadwood, Eastbound & Down, Family Tree, Enlightened, Treme, early seasons of Boardwalk Empire and True Blood, as well as mini-series like Band of Brothers and John Adams and comedy specials from Lewis Black, Ellen DeGeneres, Louis CK and Bill Maher. Previous seasons of other HBO shows, such as Girls, The Newsroom and Veep will become available three years after originally airing.

No word on Game of Thrones or Silicon Valley.

This is the first time HBO programming was licensed to an online-only subscription streaming service. It’s a big win for Amazon, giving the video streaming service a major advantage over competitors.

This move is likely a way to monetize older HBO content long forgotten and advertise its stellar pedigree. Before Game Of Thrones, The Wire and The Sopranos were the darlings of television. They’re fantastic shows. By making the whole series available for binge watching, HBO is effectively advertising its current content in the hopes of snagging more subscribers.

Netflix did not immediately respond for comment. They’re likely still reeling back in their office chairs and hyperventilating in discarded DVD mailers.