HBO Max is finally coming to Amazon Fire TV devices, the streaming service has confirmed. As of November 17, HBO Max will begin 'rolling out' on Fire tablets, Fire TV Edition smart TVs and Fire TV streaming devices. When the service launched back in May, its biggest drawback was the lack of support for some platforms, including Amazon's.
Now, that's been resolved – just in time for this Thursday's The Fresh Prince of Bel Air reunion special, no less.
Those subscribed to HBO via Amazon's Prime Video channels can log in to the HBO Max with their Amazon details at no extra cost, which is handy – the $14.99 monthly cost is consistent across both HBO Max and the HBO channel on Amazon, so it makes sense. If you're already subscribed directly to HBO Max, you can log straight in to the app on the device of your choice.
Alexa support will also be available for the HBO Max app – so you can give it a prompt like "Alexa, find Sharp Objects" and watch arguably the most harrowing TV miniseries of the last decade.
This is a good move that makes HBO Max's pretty amazing library of content far easier to discover.
Roku devices, however, still aren't officially streaming HBO Max as it stands.
How is HBO Max doing?
HBO Max's array of movies is utterly fantastic – and the batting average of HBO's originals remains extraordinarily high. 8.6 million people had reportedly accessed the US-only streaming service as of the end of the last financial quarter – HBO and HBO Max combined boast 38 million subscribers.
HBO's biggest problem is that it doesn't have a clear brand offering in the way that a newer service like Disney Plus does. It's essentially a direct competitor to Netflix – it offers everything HBO has, including best-in-class shows like The Wire and Curb Your Enthusiasm, as well as a ton of cool films, but also a load of content designed to appeal to broader audiences.
That's why you'll find Friends or The Big Bang Theory streaming on there, and why HBO Max is focusing on original content for audiences the cable network arguably underserves. Big originals include Love Life with Anna Kendrick and the upcoming The Flight Attendant with Kaley Cuoco.
Further off, HBO Max is leveraging its intellectual property as much as possible: all DC Universe app originals like Titans, Doom Patrol and Harley Quinn are now exclusive to this newer service. HBO Max will also be the home of the Zack Snyder cut of the Justice League, and TV spin-offs of the upcoming The Batman and The Suicide Squad movies focused on the Gotham City police and John Cena's Peacekeeper character respectively.
HBO Max's main sticking points are its high price and lack of 4K content – but the core offering here is fantastic, particularly if you're a movie fan.
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