HBO app replaces HBO Now on Fire TV devices August 1st
HBO Max still isn't available on Fire TVs.
The HBO Now app will become simply HBO on Amazon Fire TVs as of August 1st, Variety reports. Existing HBO Now subscribers will have access to the rebranded app. HBO Max is still not available on Fire TVs, and HBO Go will be discontinued across all platforms on July 31st.
This is part of HBO’s ongoing attempt to clear up confusion around its streaming services. For those just tuning in, or understandably a bit lost, HBO Go is an on-demand streaming service for cable subscribers that offers every season and episode of HBO shows. HBO Now is the same on-demand streaming service for cord cutters. HBO Max, which arrived in May, is an on-demand streaming service that offers all the content of Go and Now, plus movies and TV specials, exclusive originals and a selection of non-HBO shows and movies.
HBO previously said it would “sunset” HBO Go and rebrand HBO Now as HBO, leaving just HBO and HBO Max. But that has been complicated by stalled negotiations with Amazon and Roku. An Amazon spokesperson previously told Engadget that Amazon won’t support HBO Max without Prime Video Channels tie-in. Now, months after its launch, HBO Max still isn’t available on Amazon TVs or Roku.
According to Variety, Amazon’s deal to distribute HBO Now on Fire TVs was set to expire on July 31st. So while the HBO Max situation is still a mess, it’s a bit of a silver lining that HBO Now subscribers will at least have access to the rebranded HBO app on Fire TVs.
