HBO’s new chief executive Richard Plepler alluded to the fact that a standalone HBO broadband option could potentially exist somewhere down the road. “We recognize that there’s a piece of the audience out there that, if they could get HBO without going through a pay package, we would get it,” he noted, adding that he is hesitant to alienate HBO’s distributors by taking the channel directly to consumers online right now.

The potential is there, but if it does happen, it likely would be in the distant future, Plepler pointed out. For now, the company is remains focused on making such high-quality programming “that it’s worth the subscription.”

“But then,” adds the Wall Street Journal, “he dropped a subtle hint that HBO is internally debating the issue, mentioning that he wants to foster a corporate culture that allows for debate — including ‘an environment that challenges the status quo.’”

“Every day there are people now thinking about what are the variations on the theme,” he said. “How can we work with our partners to do that? Is there a broadband-only play, with HBO Go, with our partners, that might be appealing?”