Nearly 200 days after HBO Max launched, WarnerMedia and Roku still do not have a distribution deal. The months-long standoff has been the ire of many Roku users who cannot watch the impressive content that is part of HBO Max’s catalog, though Roku SVP Scott Rosenberg recently revealed that he is hoping for that to soon change.
Speaking to The Wrap for a report published Wednesday, Rosenberg confirmed that the two companies are continuing “to work” on a deal to bring HBO Max to Roku devices. Currently, Roku is the last remaining streaming gatekeeper yet to make an agreement with WarnerMedia for the new streaming platform, with Amazon Fire TV securing a deal in November. Noting that Roku is “we’re an important partner for HBO Max’s success,” Rosenberg said the company “would like to get a deal done for our users.” Despite this hope, though, the Roku exec indicated that seemingly no progress had been made in the discussions.
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“I don’t have anything more at this point to say on it. When the deal’s done, it’ll be done,” Rosenberg told the outlet. “When the deal’s done, it’ll be done. But I think that service, together with other services coming — CBS is going to launch Paramount+, Discovery+ is coming — there’s just this great drumbeat of new content and services coming, and Roku is a massive platform for these players to go build audience. We’re excited about our role in that process and excited for our consumers.”
Shortly after Amazon struck a deal with WarnerMedia, reports surfaced that Roku was well on its way to striking a deal that could bring HBO Max to Roku devices by the end of the year. However, the streaming platform still isn’t an option, sources recently told Variety that while the two companies “are in active talks,” neither are budging on their positions. The outlet, citing sources, noted, “Roku wants to keep HBO/HBO Max as a channel it can sell directly to its own customers.” In contrast, Warnermedia insists “HBO Max be available as a standalone app.” Another sticking point seems to be how the two companies will “divvy up ad inventory for the ad-subsidized version of HBO Max, which WarnerMedia plans to launch for a reduced price later in 2021.”
The lack of a deal only leads to further upset among those who own Roku devices, with pressure growing for a deal following the announcement that Warner Bros. would be releasing all of its 2021 movies on HBO Max the same day as theaters. While it seems unlikely a deal will be reached anytime soon, given the most recent reports, Roku users can still access HBO Max via a few workarounds, which you can learn about by clicking here.
