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HBO Max, Youtube land on Spectrum smart boxes

Two new streaming services are rolling out this week for users of Charter/Spectrum’s online-connected set-top boxes.

AT&T WarnerMedia’s streaming service HBO Max and Google’s ad-supported, user-generated content streamer YouTube are now accessible within the Spectrum TV guide for digital cable customers.

“As the video landscape continues to change, we are evolving our products and making it easier for our customers to watch what they want by providing access to streaming apps from convenient launch points within the Spectrum TV experience,” Elena Ritchie, an executive in charge of Charter’s video experience, said in a statement.

A subscription to HBO Max will be required for Spectrum TV customers interested in the television and film content there. HBO Max currently retail for $15 a month, with a slimmer, ad-supported version offered at $10 a month.

YouTube is free to access, though customers can pay Google directly for YouTube Premium, which eliminates most advertisements.

Prior to this week’s launch, Spectrum cable customers already had native access to Netflix through their electronic TV guide. Ritchie said Charter/Spectrum is focused on offering more native access to third-party streaming video apps “in the coming months.”

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is an award-winning journalist with more than 10 years of experience covering the business of television and radio broadcasting, streaming services and the overall media industry. In addition to his work as publisher of The Desk, Matthew contributes regularly to StreamTV Insider and KnowTechie, and has worked for several well-known news organizations, including Thomson Reuters, McNaughton Newspapers, Grasswire, Comstock's magazine, KTXL-TV and KGO-TV. Matthew is a member of IRE, a trade organization for investigative reporters and editors, and is based in Northern California.

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