After a long battle between Amazon and HBO owner WarnerMedia, The Verge reports that the two companies have come to an agreement that will allow Amazon Fire TV users to finally stream HBO Max.
Starting on November 17th, people with Amazon Fire TV streaming devices, Fire TV Edition smart TVs, and Fire tablets can load HBO Max directly on those devices. Until now, Amazon allowed HBO customers to access a version of HBO Now, but there was no way to get HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s new streaming service. WarnerMedia’s announcement notes that current HBO subscribers who go through Amazon’s Prime Video Channel option (Channels allows Amazon Prime subscribers to purchase individual plans for certain streamers) will also be able to log into Max for no additional cost.
For other HBO product subscribers, here’s how it’ll work: the HBO app on Fire TV and Fire tablets will automatically switch over to HBO Max, so you don’t have to do any work. People can log in with their current HBO credentials. New customers will be able to sign up for HBO Max directly within the app, too.
“Our continued goal is to make HBO Max and its unparalleled content available to customers across all the devices they love,” Tony Goncalves, head of sales and distribution for WarnerMedia, said in the press release. “Fire TV is a favorite among customers and we look forward to working with the Amazon team to engage and grow our existing subscriber base by showcasing all that HBO Max has to offer.”
The looming question hanging over the announcement is whether this means a deal with Roku, the other major streaming aggregator on which HBO Max is currently absent, will be announced soon. Both WarnerMedia and Roku have publicly said many times they want to work on a deal as quickly as possible, so with Amazon and WarnerMedia now in business, hopefully it won’t be a long wait for Roku owners — especially since Roku and Comcast worked out an agreement not too long ago to finally to settle a similar dispute for NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service.
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