HBO Max will finally be available on Roku devices starting tomorrow. WarnerMedia launched its streaming service in the first half of 2020, but it has had a complicated rollout. The HBO Max app wasn't widely available to download on a number of key streaming devices. It only just became available on PS5 consoles today and recently struck deals to launch on Amazon Fire devices. For months many have been waiting to hear the news that HBO Max is now an app on Roku devices.
WarnerMedia and Roku have been negotiating the terms of such a deal since before HBO Max launched, and yet there was still no real sign of progress being made. However, making HBO Max missing from Roku devices became an even bigger potential problem once Warner Bros. announced all 17 of its 2021 movies will debut on the streaming service and in theaters simultaneously. Without Roku and its reported 46 million active monthly users, HBO Max's reach would be limited. Now just a week before Wonder Woman 1984 launches, a deal has been made.
As shared by Variety, Roku and WarnerMedia have agreed to terms of a deal that will make HBO Max available on every Roku device. The deal goes into effect tomorrow, December 17th, making it almost instantly available to a much bigger audience. The new deal will see any active Roku users with HBO subscriptions automatically receive the HBO Max app. Users will simply have to log-in again to gain access to HBO Max's vast library of content. Those who want to subscribe to HBO Max will be able to do so from the Roku app as well.
From the moment WarnerMedia announced plans for Wonder Woman 1984 and their 2021 slate to debut on HBO Max, it was just a matter of time before the Roku deal would be finalized. The whole idea behind WarnerMedia pushing these movies to HBO Max was to reach the widest audience possible at a time when theater attendance is at an all-time low due to COVID-19. That goal would not be achieved if Roku users weren't able to access HBO Max. Now, all of the upcoming WB movies are positioned to be seen by millions more than before.
With HBO Max set to be available on just about every major device soon and the incoming major titles it will host, it will be fascinating to see how quickly its subscriber count grows. WarnerMedia recently reported that there are nearly 30 million people with HBO Max subscriptions, but only 12 million are active. Both figures are sure to rise as some of the non-active subscribers could be Roku users, while Roku's reach could also open the door for millions of new subscribers. An official update on HBO Max's subscriber count likely won't come for a few months, but at least now HBO Max has the reach and content to become a bigger player in the streaming wars.
Source: Variety
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