Amazon signs deal to stream HBO shows

Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) snagged the white whale – HBO original programming.

The online retailer announced Wednesday it inked a deal with Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) to make Amazon Prime instant video the exclusive online-only subscription home for select HBO shows.

The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch reports Amazon Prime users will have access to popular HBO original programming such as "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under."

The deal is the first of its kind for HBO, which has long kept its original programming under lock and key from services such as Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) and Hulu, available only to HBO subscribers.
 
MarketWatch reports users also will have access to some early seasons of shows such as "Boardwalk Empire," "True Blood," "Girls," 'The Newsroom" and "Veep."

Famously HBO shows such as "Sex and the City" and "Entourage" were left out of the deal. And there was no mention of reportedly the most pirated show in TV history, "Game of Thrones."

Read more from MarketWatch.