 It's not TV, it's just shrewd f***ing business. I'm Ross Miller and this is 90 seconds on the verge. Amazon and HBO have signed an extensive, exclusive, multi-year agreement that brings many of the network's shows and specials to Prime Instant Video. That means for the first time ever, you'll be able to legally stream HBO content across a number of set-top boxes without a cable subscription. Starting May 21st, Amazon Instant Video will offer eight of HBO's biggest shows in their entirety as well as select seasons from Boardwalk Empire and True Blood. HBO also promises that seasons of Girls, Veep, and Newsroom will be added in the future, but not until three years after the first air. Notably absent, however, Arliss, also Game of Thrones. It's a good deal for HBO, which is no doubt walking away with unfathomable amounts of money here, but it's an even better deal for Amazon. The company has already locked down several high-profile exclusives to stream shows like Downton Abbey and 24, but HBO has long been the white whale of streaming content, and an Amazon exclusive is ostensibly a missed opportunity for Netflix, its biggest competitor. And just like Big Red, Amazon is aggressively pushing to create a portfolio of original series on top of these syndication deals. But don't mistake this as a sign that HBO is softening its ties to the cable industry. The network's top brass have always been very vocal about where the big money is, and these shows are, frankly, years old. So if you really want to watch the new Game of Thrones, legally speaking, you're going to have to pay for cable. For more on Amazon and HBO, check out The Verge. Coming up, Microsoft announces the return of web TV with the exclusive rights to stream reruns of VH1's pop-up video and clips from SNL's 1980-1981 season.