In the quest to entice us into their cord-tethered grasps, cable companies will come up with anything to win us over. But AT&T might have struck upon the first truly innovative deal: Broadband, plus HBO, and a year's subscription to Amazon Prime. For only $39 per month.


The closest one might come to such a deal out there is what's being called a "skinny bundle," when cable providers deliver a streamlined selection of channels + HBO, which still runs about $50 a month. AT&T's idea to throw Amazon Prime in there is a total wildcard, but it makes sense—in essence this is a plan to get their original content in front of the eyes of diehard HBO fans. It's very, very smart.

Yes, there's some fine print: The deal only lasts a year, at which point you'll start paying regular prices (which suffice it to say are a lot more) and switching providers can be a bitch (as we know). There's also a one-time $99 installation fee. Still this is likely less than you pay for just internet to be delivered to your home, and the 18MBps speed is not bad. And then you get Amazon Prime, plus your newly instated HBO Go powers (Amazon Prime costs $99 a year a la carte, and you can't get HBO by itself anywhere). Imagine! Watching Boardwalk Empire anytime you please! [AT&T via Re/Code]