There's a Very Good Reason Why HBO Max and Peacock Aren't on Roku

[douglas9]

It’s been months since HBO Max and Peacock officially launched, and still, neither streaming service currently appears on the Roku platform (or Amazon, for that matter). The companies have said discussions about support were ongoing, but now we know why they’re still absent: Roku’s support fees are expensive as hell.

In a deep-dive report on Roku’s ascent to dominance in the streaming space, Variety reported Thursday that the streaming platform and hardware brand is asking for 30% of ad inventory and 20% of subscription costs from third-party streaming services hoping to find a home on Roku. In other words, Roku is making Apple-level demands of its channel partners—terms HBO Max and Peacock aren’t willing to agree to, clearly. Another point of contention in the discussions appears to be support for standalone apps, as opposed to subscriptions sold through the Roku Channel.

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for HBO Max parent company WarnerMedia told Gizmodo the company had no comment. A spokesperson for NBCUniversal, Peacock’s parent, said that “talks are ongoing.”

Roku didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

https://gizmodo.com/theres-a-very-good-reason-why-hbo-max-and-peacock-arent-1844873657