Ahead of the Christmas Day release of Wonder Woman 1984, WarnerMedia has partnered with Comcast to make it even easier for Xfinity customers to access HBO Max original programming and movies. While cable customers have been able log in to the HBO Max on their streaming devices if HBO is part of their package, the app is now directly available on Xfinity set top devices, according to the joint announcement:
X1 and Flex customers will be able to access the HBO Max app over the Internet by saying “HBO Max” into the Xfinity Voice Remote or, for example, by saying the name of a desired title (like, “The Flight Attendant”). Xfinity customers will also be able to find the HBO Max app content library integrated throughout the X1 and Flex experience, including in current and evergreen collections such as “Best of 2020,” “Kids and Family,” “Black Film & TV” and more.
While this latest news is well and good for Xfinity subscribers, it only further highlights HBO Max’s glaring absence on Roku devices. The two sides are still at an impasse and have yet to reach an agreement thanks to the contentious issue of how the HBO Max app should be available to Roku users, and more importantly, what the revenue share will look like. However, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar recently shared a promising update on the negotiations during an interview with Variety. “We do respect each other and we are having productive conversations,” he said. “I do have optimism that something gets done.”
