WarnerMedia has announced that HBO Max will finally be available on Amazon Fire devices from tomorrow. The fledgling streaming service has built up 8.6 million subscribers since launching in May. Of course, being available as an Amazon Fire TV app will expose them to a significantly larger audience.
After years of producing critically acclaimed shows, movies, and miniseries, HBO decided to enter the increasingly crowded streaming service game this year with HBO Max, which houses all of the channel’s past and present content and exclusive original material, as well as a library of other properties. Despite the appeal of access to properties like Game of Thrones and The Sopranos, HBO Max has so far struggled to attract subscribers, and the Netflix-esque $15 monthly price is undoubtedly among the reasons why. However, another significant factor has been their failure to strike a deal with either Amazon or Roku, locking them out of 70% of the American streaming market.
Now that a deal with Amazon Fire TV has finally been announced, their parent company WarnerMedia hopes to have put those struggles behind them. Starting tomorrow, November 17, the HBO Max app will be available on all Amazon Fire TV devices, Fire TV Edition smart TVs, and Fire tablets, with the right Alexa command capable of directing you right to it. The HBO Fire TV app will change to HBO Max, and all customers who already subscribe to HBO through Amazon’s Prime Video Channels will have automatic access using their Amazon login. Current HBO Max subscribers can watch through any Fire device as well.
It remains to be seen if increased accessibility is enough to attract new customers, but there’s a lot to love about HBO Max in terms of their content. In addition to the premium network’s award-winning programming, the streaming service has set up an expansive library that will appeal to various audiences. Their access to DC shows and movies will hook superhero fans, while their deals with Studio Ghibli and Cartoon Network have to excite animation lovers. The Warner Bros. back catalog gives them Hollywood hits new and old, and they’ve even formed a relationship with the Criterion Channel for art film buffs. With all those demographic boxes checked, it’s possible ease of access was the major stumbling block for those yet to subscribe.
As shown by the recent growth of Disney+, the key to attracting new subscribers is the promise of exclusive original content. HBO Max has received positive attention for their sci-fi series Raised by Wolves, executive produced by genre legend Ridley Scott, but the response to their recent movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches by Robert Zemeckis was lukewarm. There are rumors that the highly anticipated Wonder Woman 1984 could see HBO Max involved in its release, but they have yet to pull the trigger. Warner Bros. has to decide whether to bet on the financially proven theatrical model currently in dire straits or invest in a new long-term relationship with audiences that might lose them money in the short-term. With the post-pandemic film industry’s potential fate in their hands, expect to hear more about HBO Max soon.
