HBO Now Available on Roku Channel, in Time for ‘Game of Thrones’ Final Season
By Todd Spangler
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – After a conspicuous absence, HBO is now available on Roku’s Channel, letting the connected-streaming platform offer subscriptions to the premium service for the first time.
The pricing for through The Roku Channel’s premium subscriptions, to be available starting Thursday (April 4), is the same as on other platforms: $14.99 per month, after a free seven-day trial. Additionally, Roku said Cinemax will soon be available via Premium Subscriptions on The .
HBO joins more than two dozen other premium subscriptions already available on The Roku Channel, including Showtime, Starz, and Epix. Variety was first to report last summer that Roku was planning to resell video-subscription services through its platform, and the company debuted the program in January .
The addition of HBO to the Roku Channel comes ahead of the April 14 premiere of “Game of Thrones” Season 8, the final run of the popular fantasy epic.
“Just in time, The Roku Channel users will have a chance to watch the final season of ‘Game of Thrones’ on their favorite platform,” said Jeff Dallesandro, HBO’s senior VP of worldwide digital distribution and new business development.
As of the end of 2018, Roku had devices in more than 27 million households after adding nearly 8 million active accounts last year. The company’s “platform revenue,” comprising mostly advertising along with licensing fees, grew 77% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2018, to $151.4 million.
Along with premium subscriptions, The Roku Channel provides access to more than 10,000 free, ad-supported movies and TV episodes from content partners including Lionsgate, MGM, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros. The Roku Channel first launched in September 2017 on the company’s devices and last year became available on the web and via Roku’s app .
“The Roku Channel delivers a single destination to discover great free, ad-supported and premium subscription entertainment,” said Rob Holmes, VP of programming and engagement for Roku.
