The story of how Jimmy Iovine helped Apple strike a deal for HBO Now

Reuters

HBO CEO Richard Plepler was recently interviewed by Fast Company to talk about the release of its new standalone streaming service, HBO Now, which launched exclusively on Apple devices starting Tuesday.

In the interview, Plepler revealed that he called up his old boss, Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine, to help land the exclusive partnership deal with Apple.

Plepler, who had once handled public relations for Iovine years before being put in charge of HBO, asked what Iovine thought about the possibility of Apple partnering with HBO for its streaming service.

According to Plepler, Iovine was immediately interested, saying "I think that's the sh--."

To work through the specifics of the deal, Plepler also worked with Time Warner board member Paul Wachter, who had also help facilitate Apple's acquisition of Beats. Wachter then set up a meeting between Plepler and Apple's head of digital media, Eddy Cue, who told Plepler he wanted to sign a deal "the next day."

The resulting partnership turned into HBO Now, a standalone video streaming service that allowed anyone to access HBO's extensive library of shows and movies on any Apple device for $14.99 a month - no cable subscription required.

You can sign up for HBO Now starting Tuesday, and if you sign up today you'll get a free month.

To read Fast Company's full profile of HBO CEO Richard Plepler, click here.

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