HBO Max, the streaming service from Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), will continue its international expansion with launches in the U.K. and Ireland on March 26, top executives unveiled in London on Monday. The streamer will be available directly via its url, as well as via launch partners Sky, which was previously announced, and the newly unveiled Prime Video.
JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming & games at WBD, and Andrew Georgiou, president and managing director for U.K. and Ireland and of WBD Sports Europe, touted the opportunity in the new markets, suggesting that the streaming age had turned the traditional benefits of the first mover advantage on their head.
“Some may think we’re late to the streaming party, but our focus has been on harnessing the benefits of what we call the last mover advantage,” Perrette said. “We are likely the last scaled global streamer to come to market. We’ve tried to learn from the rest, and on this journey of strategic iteration and refinement that we’ve been on over these last several years, it’s led us to this exciting moment.”
He continued: “HBO Max’s differentiated proposition has never been clearer. We [offer] something great for adults and families, not something for everyone. We’re a complementary and distinct service to the more volume-driven or basic cable-like streamers in the market. More is not better. Better is better. And our content slate over the next 24 months is the strongest and most targeted for our audiences in our history.”
Concluded Perrette: “We’re one of the fastest-growing streamers. We’ve attracted almost 20 million new global subscribers over the last 12 months, and we’re on track to deliver on our company objective of 130 million subscribers that we set out over three years ago to deliver by the end of 2025. … Year to date, our stories don’t just get watched – they ignite conversation, and when we’re at our best, they actually shape culture. Our relentless focus is on being the best service at delivering what consumers want most, not more content, but great stories, the stories that people can’t wait to savor and enthusiastically talk about you.”
The unveiling of U.K. and Ireland launch details came after the mid-January debut of the streamer in Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. WBD had previously only said that the streaming service would come to the U.K. and Ireland around late March.
The executives on Monday didn’t discuss Netflix’s $83 billion deal for Warner Bros., which the streaming giant recently made all-cash, or Paramount’s hostile bid for WBD, in detail, with Perrette ending his introductory remarks with an invitation for press questions, highlighting that he and Georgiou would happily answer all questions, except for ones on Netflix and Paramount. However, Perrette mentioned this time of “corporate transition” and did end up mentioning Netflix in response to one question referencing the mega-deal: “They have an enormous amount of appreciation [and] respect [for] and value the HBO brand. They value the brand as we’re defining it, which is something that is distinct, premium and different to mass volume.”
And, while emphasizing he couldn’t speak for Netflix, he offered that having HBO Max in the U.K. market and beginning “to actually have more of a broad following, as opposed to just an industry following … is very helpful for [Netflix’s] strategic foundations.”
HBO Max content is currently available in the U.K. and Ireland under a long-running exclusive partnership with Comcast’s Sky. Original series available on Sky as of the launch date will remain available, while new original content will become exclusive to HBO Max.
HBO Max will launch in the U.K. and Ireland with its Basic with Ads plan for 4.99 pounds ($6.78), Standard With Ads plan for 5.99 pounds ($8.15), Standard plan for 9.99 pounds ($13.59), its Premium plan for 14.99 pounds ($20.39), as well as a TNT Sports standalone or add-on plan for 30.99 pounds ($42.16).
“2026 features one of HBO’s best-ever slates. Upcoming content will include new seasons of Euphoria and House of the Dragon, as well as the debut of Lanterns, from DC Studios,” HBO Max said on Monday. “Movie fans will be able to watch the Academy Award-nominated slate and best of the box office, including Superman, One Battle After Another, Sinners, A Minecraft Movie and Dune: Part One.”
Said Georgiou: “Launching HBO Max in the U.K. and Ireland marks a significant moment for viewers here. … Nowhere else will you be able to get The Pitt, House of the Dragon, Euphoria, Lanterns, Superman, One Battle After Another, as well as the eagerly awaited Harry Potter series, all together.”
At Monday’s launch event, he called The Pitt a breakout show that will be a great exclusive original to help launch the streaming service in the U.K. and Ireland.
The streamer, available in more than 110 markets worldwide, with a handful of markets in Asia-Pacific and Africa still untapped, on Monday touted its content broad lineup. HBO Max launched in the U.S. in 2020 and has since expanded across Latin America, Europe, Central Asia and Asia Pacific. WBD previously reported 128 million total streaming subscribers as of the end of September, with an expectation to have passed the 130 million mark at the end of 2025.
Perrette also referenced the decision to bring back the HBO brand name on Monday, saying: “Nothing says quality like those three letters.” The service may not serve every niche, but all its content is of the highest quality, he said. “We are not a sea of anonymized, randomized volume.” And he added about the company’s experience around the world: “Every local creative community wants to be associated with this brand.”
Perrette also referenced the Harry Potter series coming to the streamer next year, highlighting: “We can’t wait for this global streaming event.” He later also called it “the streaming event of the decade,” maybe even streaming history.
How is the long-running Sky relationship changing with the launch of HBO Max directly to consumers, while the service is also available to Sky subscribers? “Sky has been a great partner for us in this market for a long time,” Perrette said. “What we’ve learned is that a lot of the streamers, particularly the ones that came from the traditional media business and entered the streaming space, went more scorched earth. What they learned as part of that is [that it] takes time, it’s expensive, because you have to actually go out and acquire all those subscribers from day one. And our view is we’re very happy, for the right economic model, to fish where the fish are. We know that the Sky subscriber base is passionate” and familiar with the HBO Max content.
PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore told THR: “This is the first time HBO will be available in this key European market on a standalone basis, given its exclusive, long-standing relationship with Sky. Therefore, it is late to the streaming party, with its rivals having a huge head start in awareness, reach and subscriber bases. Make no mistake, this represents a key first step. The next phase of rollout will see additional partnerships with telco, and other, carriage partnerships and punchy bundles.”
How will the HBO Max launch fit into the market? “Sure, another streaming service launching leads to further fragmentation. HBO Max will serve as the platform brand, offering an impressive lineup of premium content, including HBO, Warner Bros., DC, and TNT Sports content,” Pescatore said. “It will quickly become an indispensable service as part of a user’s and family’s sought-after media needs, along with Netflix and Disney+.”
He concluded: “The move increases competitive pressure on local broadcasters and smaller streamers. Over time, however, consolidation is likely, as I’ve said repeatedly. Beyond the market situation, there are other questions around branding, the future of Discovery+, the company’s ownership – with Netflix in the driving seat for now, and more. However, it is business as usual for Warner Bros. Discovery, as this is the first time HBO content will be available in the U.K. rather than on Sky.”
Read the full article here
