For years, fans of HBO dramas have begged the premium cable giant to create a standalone streaming service, or a way to watch shows like “Game of Thrones” or “True Detective” online without subscribing to HBO on TV as well. HBO has always said no.

Now, the network is reversing course. In quite the historic decision, HBO executives announced Wednesday that starting next year, they will officially offer an online-only streaming option.

“In 2015, we will launch a stand-alone, over-the-top, HBO service in the United States,” CEO Richard Plepler said at the Time Warner Inc. Investor Meeting.

He cited statistics that there are 10 million broadband Internet-only homes and that number is only projected to get bigger. “That is a large and growing opportunity that should no longer be left untapped. It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO,” he said.

Should cord-cutters everywhere rejoice? Yes, but with some caveats. While it’s a groundbreaking move for a premium cable channel, the network hasn’t worked out all the details. Plepler said they will explore new models with their current distributor partners, but there’s no word on how much an online-only service would cost or what programming would be available and when. Or how it would work with HBO Go, the channel’s current streaming option that requires a subscription log-in.

Currently, an HBO subscription through your cable provider costs between $15 and $20 a month depending on the service. Back when that “Take My Money, HBO” petition was making the rounds, asking people how much they would pay for an online-only service (in lieu of stealing HBO GO passwords or pirating shows), the average answer was just above $12.

At the time, HBO said “thanks for the love, not going to happen.” Now, the network is warming to the idea, as a way to get more viewers invested in HBO programming in an era with so much quality competition — especially as several of its hallmark series, like “True Blood” and “Boardwalk Empire,” come to an end.

“All in, there are 80 million homes that do not have HBO and we will use all means at our disposal to go after them,” Plepler said.