HBO Max lays out plan for global streaming assault

Ella Sagar

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October 5, 2021

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1 minute

WarnerMedia’s streaming platform HBO Max plans to triple its reach to 190 territories in five years.

HBO Max press picture

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Ella Sagar Ella Sagar is a reporter for The Media Leader and leads our audio and out-of-home coverage. She joined in September 2021 and has a gold standard NCTJ. She previously wrote for the South West Londoner, Ealing Times, and The Hillingdon Times. At the University of Leeds, she received a First Class Honours Degree in French and Spanish with distinction in speaking and during her time there regularly presented radio shows on Leeds Student Radio, wrote for the student paper The Gryphon and was editor of Her Campus Leeds.

WarnerMedia’s streaming platform HBO Max plans to launch in 27 territories in Europe, taking its global presence to 67, but has higher aspirations to nearly triple its offering to 190 territories in five years.

HBO Max will launch first in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain and Andorra on 26 October 2021, and Central & Eastern Europe and Portugal in 2022.

However, HBO Max will not launch in the UK for at least another four years because HBO has an exclusive licensing deal with Sky that runs until 2025.

A company spokesman was unable to confirm that HBO would not renew the deal, which grants Sky the rights to exclusively broadcast HBO shows like Game of Thrones and Succession on Sky Atlantic.

At a virtual event today, WarnerMedia announced it will also be coming to seven more countries than originally planned next year, namely the Netherlands, Turkey, Greece, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The platform will also offer a new annual subscription deal where you can get 12 months’ access for the price of eight and Warner films will be available on HBO Max only 45 days after theatrical release.

The streaming service will combine a library of shows and movies under Warner Bros., HBO, Max Originals, DC, and Cartoon Network with flagship shows like Game of Thrones, Friends and all the Harry Potter films. HBO is also rebooting its popular 90s comedy Sex and the City, starring Sarah Jessica Parker.