HBO Max is now available on Roku, meaning it’s finally in the game. But has it made too many enemies along the way for that to matter anymore?
Yeesh, HBO Max is having a month, isn’t it? First, it announced that Wonder Woman 1984 would be released on the streaming service on Christmas Day, at the same time it drops in theaters. Then, it revealed that every movie Warner Bros. had scheduled to come out in 2021 — including heavy hitters like Dune, The Suicide Squad and The Matrix 4 — would be following suit, which could be good for viewers wary of going to movie theaters as the pandemic drags on but hit the wrong note with filmmakers, who blasted the studio for taking such a drastic step without consulting them.
A report from research firm MoffettNathanson estimates that this strategy could lose WarnerMedia $1.2 billion in lost box office revenue, with rival studio executives guessing the figure will be far higher (then again, they would). With COVID-19 vaccines now on the way, it does kind of seem like the problem this plan was meant to address — people being afraid to go to the theater — may by dealt with by (fingers crossed) the middle of next year or so, which makes it seem overreaching. “Most people think exhibition will be doing very well in the latter half of 2021,” National Association of Theater Owners president John Fithian told The Hollywood Reporter. “Maybe they won’t be doing record numbers, but they will probably be back to profitable business operations.”
Of course, HBO Max executives are banking on so many new people signing up for the streaming service that it offsets those losses. And indeed, the service has seen an uptick in users recently, buoyed by original series like The Flight Attendant as well as a debut on Amazon Fire devices. Now, as of today, it’s available on Roku as well.
“We believe that all entertainment will be streamed and we are thrilled to partner with HBO Max to bring their incredible library of iconic entertainment brands and blockbuster slate of direct to streaming theatrical releases to the Roku households with more than 100 million people that have made Roku the No. 1 TV streaming platform in America,” said Scott Rosenberg, Senior Vice President, Platform Business, Roku. “Reaching mutually beneficial agreements where Roku grows together with our partners is how we deliver an exceptional user experience at an incredible value for consumers and we are excited by the opportunity to deepen our longstanding relationship with the team at WarnerMedia.
WarnerMedia Chief Revenue Officer Tony Goncalves made a statement, too: “HBO Max is an incredible product with an unparalleled content offering that puts the consumer at the center, and we’re thrilled that Roku users will be able to experience all the great stories HBO Max has to offer. We’re breaking new ground in the months ahead, and we can’t wait to work with our longtime partners at Roku to build on our past successes and bring HBO Max’s best-in-class quality entertainment to Roku’s large and highly engaged audience.”
That’s all very nice, but the real shock is that HBO Max wasn’t on Roku and Amazon Fire devices right out of the gate, since they dominate the market. In a way, only now is HBO Max really in the game.
And now that they’re here, they have a lot of work ahead of them. Getting the Warner Bros. movies on the service next year should help draw subscribers, but if it comes at the cost of top talent no longer wanting to work with them, the cost could be too high, especially with executives like Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke willing to talk with creatives who feel burned by WarnerMedia’s decisions. “A lot of talent are looking for a place to call home and a relationship they can trust with creative partners at a studio or a streamer,” she said. “I’m happy to have any of those conversations.”
The second year of the streaming wars may be even more interesting than the first…
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