Roku users may be celebrating the recent deal with WarnerMedia to finally bring HBO Max to the Roku platform, but there is one thing that is catching some off guard. While Roku users can now stream all of the offerings of HBO Max, the legacy standalone HBO channel is no longer available.
Variety reports that this is due to Roku’s agreement with WarnerMedia, which now means Roku is no longer selling the HBO channel through its Roku Channel store. This provision is identical to the one both Amazon and Apple agreed to when they inked their HBO Max distribution deals. The outlet reports it is something WarnerMedia wanted in order to “keep viewers in its own app experience and to collect first-party data.”
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Dubbed “HBO and so much more,” Roku notes on its support page that HBO Max includes all existing HBO content as well as hundreds of movies and TV shows added to its lineup. This means that by opting to click the HBO Max icon, Roku users won’t be missing out on any of the titles supported on the HBO channel. The new app, HBO’s latest and most up-to-date channel, also costs $14.99 per month, which is the same as the old HBO standalone service, and accessing the app if you currently have the legacy channel only takes a few steps.
Roku customers who were already subscribed to HBO via the Roku Channel can access HBO Max by first canceling their HBO on the Roku Channel subscription. This can be done via a computer or mobile device by visiting my.roku.com and then selecting the “Manage your subscriptions” link. You will then click “Unsubscribe” next to the “HBO on The Roku Channel” tile. Users can also unsubscribe on their Roku device by using their remote to highlight HBO on The Roku Channel, pressing the star button on Roku remote, and then selecting “Manage Subscription” and choose “Cancel Subscription.”
After users have successfully unsubscribed, they must then search for the HBO Max app, install it from the Roku Channel Store, and follow the signup steps on the Roku device, Roku’s support page notes. Roku now will sell subscriptions to HBO Max, using its Roku Pay payment service. Those who already have an HBO Max subscription (either directly from WarnerMedia or another third-party distributor) or HBO Now can use their existing email and password to sign in to the HBO Max channel on their Roku device and verify access. Roku customers subscribed to HBO Now will find that the channel will automatically be updated to HBO Max. When opening the app, they will have to select “Access all of HBO Max.”
HBO Max is supported on all Roku devices that support OS 9.3 and later. The app boasts a broad library of content and will be the platform to host the Christmas Day debut of Wonder Woman 1984 as well as WarnerMedia’s full 2021 movie slate.
