WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar has offered Amazon an ultimatum in the ongoing negotiations to bring its major new streaming service, HBO Max, to Fire TV platforms. Speaking with Bloomberg in the wake of the company’s major restructuring, Kilar warned that customers may abandon the popular devices if the service is not supported by the coming holidays.

“If Amazon were truly focused just on the consumers with Fire devices, HBO Max would be on Fire devices,” Kilar said. “The consumer wants it.”

“As we head into the fourth quarter, when gift giving happens, it becomes a more material situation for a seller of hardware,” he continued. “There are alternatives in Google Chromecast and Apple TV.”

HBO Max – as well as NBCUniversal’s big new streamer Peacock – has been notably absent on Roku and Amazon Fire TV, the two biggest platforms for streaming in the current market. While Kilar did not go into why a deal has not been reached, insiders report that the dispute involves how big of a cut Roku and Amazon get of the platforms’ profits and whether or not they will be able to offer the new streamers’ content through their own “Channels” services.

The conflict’s eventual resolution is expected to have major repercussions for the future of streaming. Depending on which side gets the upper hand, it could decide whether the content providers or hardware creators have more control over the media landscape.

As of July 2019, Fire TV products controlled 30% of the streaming device market, behind only Roku with 39%. HBO Max launched in later May for all consumers, and as of June 30, it had 4.1 million active subscribers. Around 21 million HBO subscribers through pay-TV also have access to the service but have yet to switch over.

HBO Max
HBO Max launched May 27, 2020. WarnerMedia/HBO Max
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