After months of negotiations, Roku and WarnerMedia have reached an agreement to bring HBO Max to Roku devices on December 17.
HBO Max will be available on both Roku players and Roku TVs like the TCL 6-Series R635, and Roku says you’ll be able to find it in the “New and Notable” and “Movies & TV” categories of the Roku channel store or be able to search for it directly.
If you subscribe to HBO through Roku, the channel will automatically update to HBO Max without you needing to do anything in the next day or two.
HBO Max will bring its full content library of shows and movie to Roku, and in 2021, Roku users will have access to WarnerMedia's full slate of theatrical releases including The Matrix 4, Dune, The Suicide Squad, and Space Jam: A New Legacy.
- Check out our Roku Streambar review
- Roku Ultra review
- Or our guide to the best TV shows of 2020
HBO Max arrives just in time
While the negotiation period was long and particularly trying, WarnerMedia and Roku's agreement is coming at a good time – one week before the launch of Wonder Woman 1984 on the service and before 17 new films come to the service in 2021.
As for why the service picked this week to launch it, Roku is one of the largest streaming platforms and it seems likely that WarnerMedia wanted more eyes on Wonder Woman. This is the best and fastest way to get them.
That said, it's simply a good move for both parties. HBO Max needs more subscribers and Roku felt like it was lagging behind the competition by not having HBO Max. After tomorrow, that won't be a problem anymore.
