Time Warner Cable, which owns HBO, Turner cable networks and Warner Bros. film studio, is making some big announcements today regarding the future of the entertainment enterprise, as CEO Jeff Bewkes outlines his plan for company growth for investors.

A lot is riding on Bewkes’s plan, as three months ago, Time Warner rejected an $80 billion offer from Rupert Murdoch to take over the company. But already, it appears Bewkes and the Time Warner team have made at least one smart move toward independent growth.

In an official release, HBO Chairman and CEO Richard Plepler announced a big move for the premium channel. According to the announcement, HBO will launch a stand-alone streaming service in 2015, meaning that non-traditional HBO subscribers will be able to sign up for an online service that unlocks access to HBO’s shows and movies across devices. Currently, only traditional cable customers who subscribe to the premium channel are given access to HBO Go, the online and mobile platform that allows customers a way to stream HBO shows and movies on their laptops, tablets and phones.

Plepler cited, during the announcement, the “significant growth opportunities inside the pay-TV universe,” exemplifying the current decline of the traditional cable format in lieu of online services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. Now, rather than purchasing a cable package that includes HBO, viewers can subscribe to HBO independently, assumedly for a much lower cost, as is the trend with streaming services.

According to the release, regarding pay-TV, Plepler said:

That is a large and growing opportunity that should no longer be left untapped. It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO.

It’s a major step in the right direction, considering the current HBO Go streaming service has its considerable downsides: for one, passwords can easily be shared across multiple devices, and recently, the service has experienced blackouts during major TV events, like this year’s True Detective finale.

Screengrab via HBO Go