Comcast reaches distribution deal for HBO Max

Comcast reached a distribution agreement with HBO Max and will offer the service for no extra charge to its existing HBO subscribers.

The deal, which came in just hours after HBO Max officially launched today, will allow Xfinity HBO subscribers to use their Comcast credentials to log into the HBO Max app. The companies also said they will work quickly to launch the HBO Max app on both the Xfinity X1 and Flex platforms.

“X1 and Flex bring our customers an unmatched depth and breadth of live, on demand and streaming entertainment, and we look forward to partnering with WarnerMedia to integrate the HBO Max app on our platforms alongside close to 200 other streaming services – all searchable with the award-winning Xfinity Voice Remote,” said Rebecca Heap, senior vice president of video and entertainment at Comcast Cable, in a statement.

”We’re thrilled to cap off the excitement of today’s launch by adding Comcast’s Xfinity to our roster of distributors who are now offering HBO Max to their customers,” said Rich Warren, president of WarnerMedia Distribution, in a statement. “This deal marks another important step in the distribution of HBO Max and provides millions of Xfinity customers with access to the product.”

RELATED: AT&T ‘optimistic’ about HBO Max deal with Comcast

HBO Max had previously reached distribution agreements with AT&T’s TV services including AT&T TV, DirecTV and U-verse along with Cox, Hulu, Optimum, Spectrum, Suddenlink, Verizon Fios TV and some independent cable providers like WOW!, Atlantic Broadband, RCN and MCTV. However, when the service officially launched this morning, it was still missing an agreement with Comcast, one of the largest pay TV providers in the U.S. But the new deal confirms that incoming AT&T CEO John Stankey had plenty of reason to be “optimistic” about a Comcast deal when he spoke this morning with CNBC.

The Comcast agreement fills a big hole in HBO Max’s distribution footprint but the service is still absent from Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices. Roku ended the most recent quarter with nearly 40 million active users and in January, Amazon Fire TV said it had 40 million active users, a figure that has likely grown since.