HBO Max kills HBO Go, a shot at Roku and Fire TV with you in the crossfire

HBO, the jewel of AT&T‘s $85 billion takeover of WarnerMedia, overhauled its various apps Saturday. What was once three — HBO Go, HBO Now and the newer, big-budget HBO Max — is now winnowed down to just two: Max remains, and Now became a renamed app simply called HBO. For a change that AT&T claims would simplify matters, streaming HBO is more complicated than ever, especially if you’re a Roku or Amazon Fire TV user. And if your pay-TV company doesn’t have an upgrade deal for Max, you’re really stuck. 

You just got caught in the middle of a power battle over the future of TV.

HBO Max launched at the end of May as the premium cable network’s newer, bigger streaming app. With twice the shows and movies at the same $15-a-month price, it’s meant to essentially replace the company’s previous apps, HBO Go and HBO Now. HBO Go has been the network’s streaming app for regular pay-TV HBO customers to watch over the internet. And HBO Now is the channel’s stand-alone streaming option that lets people stream HBO without any pay-TV bundles. 

But now HBO Go is gone — and that puts some Roku and Amazon Fire TV users in a bind. Because HBO Max failed to secure distribution deals with both of those device makers, Max isn’t available on those devices, which are the most popular TV streaming devices in the country. So anybody who currently streams HBO Go on a Roku or Fire TV is left in the lurch. 

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