Comcast lifts ban on HBO, Showtime streaming via Roku
After years of mysteriously excluding Roku from the list of devices that can stream the HBO Go and Showtime Anytime apps to its subscribers, Comcast relents.
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
Welcome to the 21st century, Comcast subscribers.
The nation's largest cable company announced that it will finally allow its customers to activate their HBO Go and Showtime Anytime apps via the Roku platform.
The Xfinity authentication page is now live on HBO Go's activation site (see screenshot below).
The announcement follows negotiations of "several months" between the two companies, and resulted in an agreement reached November 25, according to a Roku lawyer in an FCC filing Monday.
Comcast subscribers have long had access to HBO Go and Showtime Anytime via other devices, like Apple TV, Xbox and Chromecast, but until today Roku devices were excluded.
Yesterday, HBO Go became available to Amazon Fire TV devices, but as of right now Comcast subscribers still cannot activate that app or Showtime Anytime. Negotiations are said to be ongoing.