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HBO Max and Roku bury the hatchet: Roku users can add the service December 17

Simon Cohen
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It’s been a long time coming, but Roku has finally announced that its users will be able to download the HBO Max streaming service to Roku devices starting tomorrow, December 17. If you already have the normal HBO app on your Roku device, it will automatically update to become the HBO Max app.

The timing is good for Roku users who were thinking they might need to find another device to use. HBO Max will debut Wonder Woman 1984 on December 25 (the same day it hits theaters), marking the first time the service has added content in 4K, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. Roku users who want to stream HBO Max’s content in all three of these formats will need a 2020 Roku Ultra, or one of the Roku TV models that support them.

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For those who have not yet signed up as HBO Max subscribers, you can do so directly from the Roku platform using Roku Pay.

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The announcement marks the end of a chapter that started earlier this year, when Roku found itself lagging behind other streaming platforms, without apps for either NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service or HBO Max. These omissions may have helped Amazon’s Fire TV platform to outpace Roku in monthly active users in 2020. Roku added Peacock in September, and now it has HBO Max.

“We believe that all entertainment will be streamed, and we are thrilled to partner with HBO Max to bring their incredible library of iconic entertainment brands and blockbuster slate of direct-to-streaming theatrical releases to the Roku households with more than 100 million people that have made Roku the No. 1 TV streaming platform in America,” said Scott Rosenberg, senior vice president of platform business for Roku in a press release. “Reaching mutually beneficial agreements where Roku grows together with our partners is how we deliver an exceptional user experience at an incredible value for consumers, and we are excited by the opportunity to deepen our long-standing relationship with the team at WarnerMedia.”

Roku users can search for the new HBO Max channel or find it in the “New and Notable” and “Movies & TV” categories of the Roku channel store to add it to their Roku home screen.

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Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like…
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