LOS ANGELES — Premium mainstream cable network HBO has decided to wind down its adult entertainment programming for all of its channels and streaming services.
Feature softcore erotic movies and specials, along with regular standards “Taxicab Confessions,” “Real Sex” and “Cathouse,” are no longer available to HBO subscribers, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.
The late-night sexually explicit programming had long been a cornerstone of HBO, which became part of AT&T in June after the company completed its acquisition of parent Time Warner Inc. Only the popular drama series “The Deuce,” which is set in Times Square in the 1970s and focuses on the yesteryear porn biz, remains on schedules.
HBO told the Times that the decision to move away from the programs preceded the AT&T deal.
“Over the past several years HBO has been winding down its late-night adult fare,” an HBO representative said. “While we’re greatly ramping up our other original program offerings, there hasn’t been a strong demand for this kind of adult programming, perhaps because it’s easily available elsewhere.”
HBO’s cable competitor Showtime, a unit of CBS Corp., continues to carry adult releases, under its “After Hours” label, including the reality series “Gigolos,” which shows male escorts at work.
HBO's decision to cut adult entertainment from its programming could be a boon to alternative providers of erotic content, such as Hustler TV, Playboy TV, Real Extreme, Vivid TV, Brazzers TV and TEN, which all have subscription packages on cable and satellite networks, as well as systems like Roku.
