Starting next year, you'll finally be able to watch HBO on the web without a cable subscription. In a dream come true for cord cutters, HBO CEO Richard Plepler has confirmed the company plans to launch a "standalone, over-the-top" HBO Go subscription offering at some point in 2015. This service will be offered in the United States and there are also plans to bring it overseas. "This will be transformative for our company," Plepler said. He didn't delve into specifics or outline whether there will be differences in what's made available to cable customers and internet subscribers. Plepler only said that HBO will "work with current partners and explore models with new partners."

"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," he said. Plepler described broadband-only homes as "a large and growing opportunity that should no longer be left untapped. It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO." Until today's surprise announcement, HBO had long resisted splitting off from its lucrative deals with cable providers. The company clearly doesn't want to anger partners like Comcast; in the same press release revealing its plans for a standalone service, HBO emphasizes there are still "significant growth opportunities inside the pay-TV universe." But the message couldn't be more clear: in 2015, you'll have the option to ditch cable and keep watching HBO's hit shows.