HBO Max is coming to Roku after a seven-month standoff
Roku users will be able to access HBO Max starting Dec. 17
HBO Max is finally coming to Roku devices, so you'll no longer be scrambling for a place to watch Wonder Woman 1984 when that new movie drops next week. Roku and Warner Bros have reached an agreement that finally brings the HBO Max streaming service to Roku devices.
You won't have to wait long to access HBO Max on Roku, either. The streaming service will be available tomorrow (Dec. 17).
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As noted in our HBO Max review, Roku compatibility was one of the big missing features for HBO Max ever since the streaming service debuted earlier this year. The absence became especially glaring in November, when Warner Bros. and Amazon came to terms to bring HBO Max to Amazon Fire TV.
While we rank the Roku Streaming Stick Plus as the best streaming device, the absence of HBO Max was a glaring omission and caveat.
The two sides were reportedly haggling over subscription fees, but that's of little matter to you, the home viewer, who just wants to binge on friends or take advantage of Warner's new strategy of simultaneously releasing movies in theaters and on HBO Max.
If you use Roku and already subscribe to HBO, the existing app will be automatically updated to HBO Max. Variety reports that like Amazon and Apple, Roku will no longer offer HBO as a subscription channel, with HBO Max taking its place.
HBO Max costs $14.99 a month and bring HD streaming to up to three devices at once. You can test out the service with a 7-day free trial.
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Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.