HBO Max and Peacock are in an ongoing dispute with TV-heavyweights Roku and Amazon.
More than six weeks after WarnerMedia launched HBO Max, the streaming platform is still not available on Roku or Amazon’s Fire TV. According to sources Peacock, which has just been unveiled by NBCUniversal on July 15, is also not likely to be on either platform. A large percentage of the United States population uses either Roku or Fire TV to stream their entertainment, and the lack of HBO Max and Peacock on both these platforms means many consumers within the streaming market cannot access either of the OTT services.
According to recent research by Conviva, Roku commands 44 percent of viewing time while Amazon Fire TV maintains about 19 percent; in combination Roku and Amazon currently claim to have nearly or more than 40 million customers using their devices. So for HBO Max and Peacock not to be on these platforms is a huge blow.
While both Peacock and HBO Max are available on a variety of other smart devices, including smart TVs, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Chromecast sticks, Apple TV set-top boxes, etc, the collective power of Roku and Fire TV cannot be denied.
The issues are of course connected to a matter of money, but more than that the disputes are related to long-term access, advertising inventory, and distribution. In Roku’s case, the holdup comes down to two revenue portals: the cut that Roku takes from signups and ad inventory. Roku reportedly takes 20 percent of signup fees and ad inventory means that Roku takes a percentage of ads that come through the app. The problem arises because where more niche apps may consider the ad inventory cut worth the payoff, major players like NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia do not think the same way.
With Amazon, while it wants to have streaming services like HBO Max and Peacock on Fire TV devices, it wants them within Channels which gives Amazon greater control over the streaming experience.
The bottom line is that while media conglomerates negotiate with streaming services, the consumers continue to miss out as they are as unable to access it.
What are thoughts on the deadlock between HBO Max, Peacock, and Amazon, Roku? Comment below!