It's Not TV

The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

By: Felix Gillette, John Koblin

Narrated by: Steven Jay Cohen

Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

“A read so riveting, it's not hard to imagine watching it unfold on Sunday nights.”—The Associated Press

“An incisive account that is more than a rosy victory lap for one of TV’s most influential channels.”—Eric Deggans, NPR’s “Books We Love”

“It’s Not TV proves to be a lively companion to all these shows.”—Andrew O’Hagan, The New York Review of Books

The inside story of HBO, the start-up company that reinvented television—by two veteran media reporters

HBO changed how stories could be told on TV. The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The Wire, Game of Thrones. The network’s meteoric rise heralded the second golden age of television with serialized shows that examined and reflected American anxieties, fears, and secret passions through complicated characters who were flawed and often unlikable. HBO’s own behind-the-scenes story is as complex, compelling, and innovative as the dramas the network created, driven by unorthodox executives who pushed the boundaries of what viewers understood as television at the turn of the century. Originally conceived by a small upstart group of entrepreneurs to bring Hollywood movies into living rooms across America, the scrappy network grew into one of the most influential and respected players in Hollywood. It’s Not TV is the deeply reported, definitive story of one of America’s most daring and popular cultural institutions, laying bare HBO’s growth, dominance, and vulnerability within the capricious media landscape over the past fifty years.

Through the visionary executives, showrunners, and producers who shaped HBO, seasoned journalists Gillette and Koblin bring to life a dynamic cast of characters who drove the company’s creative innovation in astonishing ways—outmaneuvering copycat competitors, taming Hollywood studios, transforming 1980s comedians and athletes like Chris Rock and Mike Tyson into superstars, and in the late 1990s and 2000s elevating the commercial-free, serialized drama to a revered art form. But in the midst of all its success, HBO was also defined by misbehaving executives, internal power struggles, and a few crucial miscalculations.

As data-driven models like Netflix have taken over streaming, HBO’s artful, instinctual, and humanistic approach to storytelling is in jeopardy. Taking listeners into the boardrooms and behind the camera, It’s Not TV tells the surprising, fascinating story of HBO’s ascent, its groundbreaking influence on American business, technology, and popular culture, and its increasingly precarious position in the very market it created.

©2022 Felix Gillette (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A revealing picture of a cultural and business institution from its beginnings to the challenges it now faces. . . . A fascinating account of HBO’s business practices show how the cable network and eventual streaming service struggled to keep up with the world it helped create. . . . Gillette and Koblin’s deep reporting and sourcing are what make It’s Not TV come together so well. The result is a read so riveting, it’s not hard to imagine watching it unfold on Sunday nights."—The Associated Press

“An incisive account that is more than a rosy victory lap for one of TV’s most influential channels.”—Eric Deggans, NPR’s “Books We Love”

“It’s Not TV proves to be a lively companion to all these shows.”—Andrew O’Hagan, The New York Review of Books

Worth a listen - even if you’ve heard the other one.

This isn’t the only book about HBO, but it’s different enough to enjoy even if you’ve read or listened to the other one. It contains different anecdotes and details, and, being more recent, the later chapters get into the Discovery merger. For fans of HBO and the media biz, this is a fast paced, entertaining, and sometimes surprising examination of one of entertainment’s most miraculous brands.

The history of the industry, shows, and key players

A fascinating telling of HBO's history, just in time for the cycle to repeat itself as streaming begins to consolidate the way cable did.

Well researched and interesting

Pick this one up when you go on your next long drive as it’s hard to put down. Well sourced and interesting behind the scenes insight into the ups and downs of HBO from its beginnings to present day. Would be straight fives if authors read it themselves. Narrator’s lack of familiarity with certain names and events was noticeable but not too distracting.

Riveting for anyone interested in this legendary brand

Riveting for anyone interested in this legendary brand that is still surviving as an industry leader

Excellent

Of the two HBO books this one is by far the most entertaining. A good balance of telling the history of the first tv disruptor in a way that could rival Succession, Entourage and Game of Thrones…

A great HBO history with more focus on the modern era

Jim Miller’s book is great, and has much more detail, especially about the earlier years of HBO, but this was catnip for someone like me whose introduction to television as a powerful medium was with 1990’s HBO programming. Great listen

As a content creator

I loved it. Huge HBO fan, but understanding the history really gives me a lot to think about.

Fantastic book

If you are at all interested in HBO or the process of making great TV, you should pick this up. A highly entertaining business biography with commentary by the important people on the story. Highly recommended.

Important and Engrossing

A worthwhile, seminal read on the trajectory of HBO. We’ll researched with great characters and structure. I enjoyed it greatly. Also, a worthy historical read for the next gen!

It's not TV. It's DEI.

The first 20 chapters in this book are terrific. Towards the end, it starts to get a bit preachy with lots of Race and Gender politics. The reading performance is terrific, however. There are a lot of good quotes from people who held high positions in HBO. Overall, it was interesting and worth my time.