HBO Max on Roku, Amazon Devices Still in the Works

09/04/2020 12:01 am EDT

HBO Max on Roku and Amazon Devices is still in the works according to WarnerMedia chief Ann Sarnoff. She told Variety that the issues surrounding the competing devices stem from licensing and would be dealt with accordingly. "There's been a bit of friction in the system but we'll make progress on the deals," Sarnoff told the publication. It's been a while since the streaming platform launched and a lot of users with Amazon Fire or Roku devices have been left with their phones as the best way to access HBO Max at home. The hope is that this fact will change in the coming months. But, as with most business deals, it takes multiple parties to make it work. In this case, the fans want to access to the streaming platform on the devices of their choosing and Sarnoff believes it can happen.

"Ultimately everybody's who on the service has had a great experience. I'd put our content up against any new service — we have the four-quadrant service with a compelling range of programming," she continued. "The product itself is amazing, and that's why I'm very optimistic."

HBO Max's head took aim at Amazon in an interview earlier this summer. When asked by Bloomberg why the devices didn't have access to the content, Jason Kilar quipped, "Call the Seattle folks." But, he sees this as a problem that will be solved by fan demand.

Kilar mused, "If Amazon were truly focused just on the consumers with Fire devices, HBO Max would be on Fire devices. The consumer wants it."

"When economies and industries are sitting on a digital foundation, what tends to happen is the concentration of successful companies unlike anything history has seen. We have fewer companies but larger companies," he continued. "I think you nailed it when you said that some companies are conflating their interests with statements about consumer focus. What you see is a lot of decision-making in the interest of the company as opposed to taking a breath and being focused on the consumer."

"My mother always considers me a very optimistic person. The optimistic side of me says it will be," Kilar joked. "As we head into the fourth quarter, when gift-giving happens, it becomes a more material situation for a seller of hardware. There are alternatives in Google Chromecast and Apple TV."

Do you think HBO Max will be on Roku and Fire devices by the end of the year? Let us know in the comments!

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