HBO Max’s lack of Roku and Amazon support casts a big shadow over its launch day
by Travis Clark, Business Insider US
- HBO Max launched on Wednesday, but isn’t available for Roku and Amazon, the two biggest streaming distribution platforms with a combined 70% market share.
- An HBO representative told Business Insider that “HBO Now will continue to exist on platforms where we don’t yet have distribution deals in place.”
- Regarding Roku and Amazon, AT&T CEO John Stankey told CNBC, “We must be doing something right if somebody believes we are now starting to be more in conflict with their business.”
- Some people voiced their concerns about the lack of distribution on social media on Wednesday.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
WarnerMedia’s HBO Max launched on Wednesday, but many potential users won’t be able to access it on their TVs.
The new streaming service isn’t yet available for Roku and Amazon users, as it failed to reach a distribution deal ahead of launch day. Roku and Amazon are the two biggest streaming distribution platforms, with a combined 70% market share as of July 2019, according to the market research firm Parks Associates.
An HBO representative told Business Insider that “HBO Now will continue to exist on platforms where we don’t yet have distribution deals in place.”
Max reached a last-minute deal with Comcast, the largest cable provider in the US, on Wednesday for existing Xfinity HBO customers, who will have access to Max at no extra cost. New Max customers will be able to subscribe through Xfinity in the coming days.
Regarding Roku and Amazon, AT&T CEO John Stankey told CNBC on Wednesday: “We must be doing something right if somebody believes we are now starting to be more in conflict with their business, so I don’t necessarily take that as a bad sign.”
He added that he thought it was “ironic” that a concern involving the AT&T and Time Warner merger – which closed in 2018 for $84.5 billion after the Justice Department tried blocking the deal – was about “withholding content from traditional distributors.”
“What we have now is a dynamic where new technology distributors in the digital age are electing not to distribute the product,” Stankey said. “I think that dynamic is an important one to understand, and it just shows how fast the markets are moving and how we have to respond to those changes.”
Amazon hit back in a statement, saying, “AT&T is choosing to deny these loyal HBO customers access to the expanded catalog.”
“We believe that if you’re paying for HBO, you’re entitled to the new programming through the method you’re already using,” Amazon said. “That’s just good customer service and that’s a priority for us.”
Some HBO customers with Roku and Amazon voiced their frustrations on social media on Wednesday.
One person tweeted: “So HBO convinces me to cancel HBO Now through Hulu for $14.99 a few weeks ago and subscribe to HBO Max separately for $11.99 but then one hour before going live they tell me that Roku is not on the supported streaming device list? Ridiculous.”
Brian Tallerico, an editor for RogerEbert.com, tweeted, “HBO Max has the most diverse streaming film catalog I’ve ever seen and I can’t watch it on my TV because it’s not on Roku or smart TVs yet. Sigh.”
Those who already subscribe to HBO through participating partners or directly through the standalone HBO Now app will gain immediate access to HBO Max. Otherwise, customers can subscribe to Max for $14.99 per month, the same price as an HBO Now subscription.
The current distribution partners include Apple, Cox, Google Play, Hulu, Optimum, Samsung Smart TV, Spectrum, Suddenlink, VerizonFios, YouTube TV, and more.
AT&T is offering HBO Max at no extra cost to customers with plans that include Unlimited Elite wireless, Internet 1000, AT&T TV Now Max, DirecTV Premier, and U-verse U400, U450. It’s offering different deals, ranging from a free month to a free year, for customers on most other plans.
- Read Business Insider’s coverage of HBO Max
- ‘We’re closing deals every week’: HBO Max’s content chief on launching a Netflix rival during the pandemic, how it’s different than HBO, and the Snyder Cut
- Inside the marketing strategy for HBO Max, AT&T’s $4 billion answer to Netflix
- A WarnerMedia exec explains how the HBO Max platform blends ‘human’ elements with data and how the product will change over time
- HBO Max is an expansion of the HBO streaming service you already use, but with a new name
- All 8 ‘Harry Potter’ movies are available to stream exclusively on HBO Max, but can still air on NBCUniversal TV networks
- HBO Max’s content boss explains its DC originals strategy, from J.J. Abrams’ Justice League Dark series to the Snyder Cut