USA Today writes that HBO shows use real brands, but channel has no paid product placement deals:
Commercial-free HBO doesn't pocket a penny from the cars, phones and soft drinks seen in such shows as The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Curb Your Enthusiasm. The 34-million-subscriber pay channel also prohibits paid placements in its original movies. […]
My favorite bit, though were the examples cited towards the bottom of the article, such as this one:
Motorola places about three or four cellphone models each season, with Tony favoring the StarTac. '“As long as our phones are not used to beat somebody over the head, I don't have a problem,”' says David Pinsky, director of entertainment marketing for Motorola. […]
Man, now I’m really jonesing to watch some Sopranos (if only I could get HBO here). (Link from Media Bistro).
grab the episodes off usenet, irc, or some p2p network.
what proof is there that HBO are not paid from their quite obvious placements?