• by Alex Weprin , April 4, 2019

The battle to be the middleman of choice for over-the-top streaming video services is in full swing.

Amazon has an early lead with its Amazon Prime Channels offering, and Apple announced Apple TV Channels last month, with a launch set for the next few weeks. 

Still, if there is an underdog in the fight, it may be Roku.

The company is the market leader among OTT platforms and is leaning into its Roku Channel as a place to watch free content and sell subscriptions to other streaming services.

The latest addition to the third-party service may be the biggest yet. On Thursday, Roku said it was adding HBO to Roku Channel, letting users subscribe with one click. The addition of HBO comes just ahead of the season premiere of “Game of Thrones.”

HBO joins other streaming OTT offerings on Roku Channel, such as Showtime, Epix, Starz, Noggin and CuriosityStream.

As streaming services from companies like Netflix, HBO, Showtime, CBS, Viacom and others proliferate, Roku is hoping to capitalize on the free, ad-supported side of the business, by offering free TV shows and movies, and the subscription side, by encouraging users to subscribe directly through its platform.

With millions of credit cards already on file and the ability to promote streaming services on its home screen, the company is hoping  a seamless experience can drive subscriptions.