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Roku and AT&T finally reach agreement to distribute HBO Max

16 December 2020
Dan Ackermann

After a months-long battle, Roku and AT&T have finally reached an agreement to distribute AT&T's streaming service HBO Max.

Why it matters: Until now, Roku was the only TV platform that did not carry HBO Max. AT&T struck a deal to distribute HBO's on-demand subscription video service on Amazon Fire devices and Prime Video channels in November.

Details: Starting December 17 Roku users will be able to download HBO Max from the Roku channel store and subscribe directly on their Roku devices to access HBO Max's catalog.

  • Sources tell Axios that the two parties had been in touch daily for months to finalize an agreement.
  • The deal comes ahead of Warner Bros. highly anticipated release of "Wonder Woman 1984" on HBO Max Dec 25.

What they're saying: “We believe that all entertainment will be streamed and we are thrilled to partner with HBO Max to bring their incredible library of iconic entertainment brands and blockbuster slate of direct-to-streaming theatrical releases to the Roku households with more than 100 million people that have made Roku the No. 1 TV streaming platform in America,” said Scott Rosenberg, Roku's senior vice president for the platform business.

  • “Reaching mutually beneficial agreements where Roku grows together with our partners is how we deliver an exceptional user experience at an incredible value for consumers and we are excited by the opportunity to deepen our longstanding relationship with the team at WarnerMedia.”

Between the lines: AT&T had been publicly pressuring Amazon and Roku on this issue for months in earnings calls and at public events.

The big picture: Spats between TV distributors and networks that grew out of the cable and satellite era are beginning to spill over into the streaming world. Other streamers and providers, like AT&T and Amazon, have also had carriage disagreements.

Go deeper:TV battles spill into streaming

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.