HBO Now Will be released on PS4 and PS3 (update)

Watch some of video game reviews

HBO Now apps are finally coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, HBO and Sony announced today.

The companies did not give a specific release date, but said that the apps will be available in time for the Oct. 2 premiere of Westworld, HBO’s biggest new series this fall.

HBO and Sony also announced today that HBO and its subsidiary network Cinemax are on their way to PlayStation Vue, Sony’s streaming alternative to cable television. Both networks are set to arrive prior to the debut of Westworld, and will be available as individual additions to a Vue subscription for $15 per month each. Vue customers who subscribe to HBO or Cinemax will also be able to use their login credentials in the networks’ streaming apps: HBO Go, HBO Now and Max Go.

Sony always seems to lag behind Microsoft when it comes to HBO. HBO Now apps debuted on Xbox 360 and Xbox One this past April. Apps for the network’s other streaming service, HBO Go, launched in November 2014 on Xbox One, and in March 2015 on PlayStation 4.

It’s at least nice to see HBO and console manufacturers continuing to support last-generation platforms. HBO Now came to Xbox 360 one day after Microsoft ended production of the console, while ESPN discontinued its Xbox 360 app this past March.

For more on Westworld, look below for the "Dreams" trailer that HBO released yesterday.

Update: HBO's press release announcing the impending debut of HBO and Cinemax on PlayStation Vue described the upcoming launch as "the first time that either network’s live programming is available directly to consumers as a standalone offering without the need of a bundle subscription."

We checked with HBO to clarify what that means, and here's the deal: Interested parties will be able to subscribe to Vue and just pay Sony $15 per month for HBO (or Cinemax) — without subscribing to any of Vue's programming tiers, which start at $29.99 per month. That à la carte offer is unprecedented. (HBO and Cinemax are both available through Sling TV, but only as add-ons to one of the service's channel packages.)

Now, why would someone bother with Vue if they could just pay the same price for HBO Now on its own, without going through Sony? Well, with Vue, you would get the actual HBO or Cinemax channel, so you could watch live programming or catch it later via the respective network's on-demand offering — and if you subscribed to HBO, you'd also be able to log in to the HBO Now app.

As for the cost — $15 per month is standard for HBO, but some services (like Sling) charge around $10 a month for Cinemax — the HBO spokesperson said that Sony set the pricing.

Check out to read some news about game of thrones and online games for kids

Read More

Ackman buys into Chipotle, to talk to management; shares jump

Get some news about upcoming video games

Activist investor William Ackman's hedge fund took a 9.9 percent stake in fast-casual Mexican food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc (CMG.N), buying in after the once high-flying company was battered by food-safety issues.

The billionaire manager said in a regulatory filing late on Tuesday that the company's shares, which closed at $414.07 on Tuesday, were undervalued and that he would be speaking with management.

Chipotle's shares rose as much as 8.7 percent to $450 in extended trading after Ackman's Pershing Square disclosed its ownership of 2.9 million shares in the company.

Chipotle said it learned of Pershing Square’s acquisition only on Tuesday, welcomed their investment, and appreciated the confidence they had expressed in the company.

Chipotle was tied to E. coli, salmonella and norovirus outbreaks last year and its shares tumbled 42 percent over thelast 52 weeks. And in July, Mark Crumpacker, its chief creative and development officer, was arraigned on charges of possession of cocaine. The company put him on leave.

Chipotle marks the first addition to Pershing Square Capital Management's highly concentrated portfolio in nearly a year and at a time the firm is still deep in the red after years of winning performance. A spokesman for Ackman declined to comment beyond the firm's filing.

The investment in Chipotle puts the company squarely into the path of one of the industry's most powerful investors who has often handpicked chief executive officers and joined corporate boards to try and guide turnarounds.

Last month Pershing Square, which oversees $12 billion for pension funds and other wealthy investors, sold off the remainder of its investment in railway Canadian Pacific (CP.TO), freeing up some $1.5 billion.

With Chipotle, Ackman wades back into the fast-food sector where he has previously made successful bets on Burger King and McDonalds (MCD.N) and is currently invested in Restaurant Brands International (QSR.TO), a fast-food chain operator.

At Chipotle he confronts a board that has come under fire for having served too long and being too chummy with top management. Ackman is no stranger to shaking up boards and already has company in the form of CtW Investment Group, which published a letter earlier this year criticizing director tenure and other matters.

Chipotle's biggest investors are mutual funds Fidelity and Vanguard and it is not widely owned by many hedge funds. But hedge funds have had their eye on the company before.Ackman resigned from the board of Canadian Pacific on Tuesday and sits on the boards of Howard Hughes (HHC.N) and Valeant (VRX.TO).

Four years ago David Einhorn, who runs Greenlight Capital and is widely followed, sent the company's shares tumbling after saying he thought they were overvalued.

Ackman is under pressure to perform with his investment. His Pershing Square Holding fund is off 14.3 percent for the year, posting one of the biggest losses in the industry. While the fund gained 5.8 percent in August and has made up ground since March when it was down 25.6 percent, investors and analysts are still concerned about how Ackman plans to recover from a debilitating investment in Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX.TO), whose share price has tumbled 87 percent in the last 52 weeks. Ackman's average annual return is still 12 percent, one of the best records in the business.

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Additional reporting by Gayathree Ganesan; Editing by Cynthia Osterman, Bernard Orr and Andrew Hay)

Check out to get some of new free games and watch some of video game reviews

Read More