Cord Busters: HBO Max Finally Confirms UK Launch – After Sky Deal Ends

Story from Cord Busters:

Warner Bros. Discovery is setting the stage for a major shake-up in the UK’s streaming landscape, with plans to launch Max, the platform formerly known as HBO Max, on our side of the pond.

However, don’t turn your TV on just yet – as the company plans for Max to launch in the UK sometime in 2026. And yet – it’s more confirmation than we’ve had before.

This strategic move, unveiled during the company’s Q4 2023 earnings call today, underscores the media conglomerate’s commitment to expanding its global footprint, with CEO David Zaslav highlighting the UK as a critical market in their European strategy.

The anticipation for Max’s arrival stems from its unique merging of content from HBO, Warner Bros., and Discovery (which is already available in the UK), promising a rich catalogue that includes everything from The Sopranos and House of The Dragon to The Last Of Us and True Detective.

However, the journey to British screens has been anything but straightforward, tangled in a web of licensing agreements with Sky that have, until now, kept the service at bay.

Yet today’s call also included hints about the possibility of another future partnership with Sky.

Max’s Long Road To The UK:

HBO Max – now known simply as Max – is a popular American streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery that features content from HBO (the critically acclaimed premium cable network), as well as content from other platforms – DC, Warner and others.

So, in addition to HBO classics like The Sopranos and Game of Thrones (as well as its spinoff House of the Dragon), Max features newer hits like The Last Of Us, Succession, The White Lotus, and many others.

In 2022, Discovery finalised its purchase of Warner Bros. (from AT&T), and in 2023, HBO Max was merged with Discovery+ and given its new name – Max.

The journey of HBO Max, now rebranded as Max, to British shores has been fraught with anticipation and delays, rooted in a complex web of licensing agreements and strategic market considerations.

Historically, Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO’s content has been available in the UK through a long-standing partnership with Sky, encompassing both the Sky and NOW platforms.

This arrangement, in place since 2010 and extended in 2019, has made Sky the UK home for HBO’s critically acclaimed productions, as well as a host of Warner Bros. films and DC shows like Peacemaker.

With so many other studios launching their own streaming services (such as Disney+ and Paramount+), Warner and HBO’s content is now one of Sky’s major content selling points.

This exclusivity agreement has been a double-edged sword, providing UK viewers with access to high-quality content while simultaneously delaying the introduction of Max as a standalone streaming service.

The intricacies of these licensing deals, designed to last until at least 2025, have effectively barred Warner Bros. Discovery from launching its own direct-to-consumer product in the UK

Max Coming To The UK In 2026:

During Warner Bros. Discovery’s earnings call today, David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, shared the company’s vision for Max’s international expansion, highlighting the strategic importance of the UK, Germany, and Italy as key markets.

Zaslav expressed enthusiasm for Max’s growth potential in more international markets, stating, “We are excited that in 2024, we’re getting back to growth in new market rollouts.

“Asia and Australasia will likely be more by 2025. And then the rest of the European markets for now slated more for 2026.”

Zaslav further elaborated on the UK market, emphasizing the success of the Discovery+ direct-to-consumer product and the recently rebranded TNT Sports partnership with BT, which boasts millions of subscribers.

“The idea of coming into that market with the wealth of content that we have, and we see how well our content works in the UK.

“And so we think those will be real businesses for us and a meaningful and real opportunity to grow economics and grow subscribers, but that’ll begin in 2026.”

Addressing the existing partnership with Sky, Zaslav acknowledged its value but emphasized the strategic importance of launching a direct-to-consumer product:

“We have deals in those markets with Sky, which is and has been over the years, a great partner to us in many ways and will continue to be a great partner to us.

“But having our own direct-to-consumer product in those markets is a core strategic initiative of ours, and we’re already in business aggressively in those markets.”

JB Perrette, CEO and President of global Streaming and Games at Warner Bros. Discovery, also spoke on the strategy shift towards a standalone service, suggesting potential efficiencies and scale achievable through partnerships with local distributors.

This approach could hint at another possible future partnership with Sky, perhaps similar to Sky’s agreement with Paramount+, which is available at no extra cost to all Sky Cinema subscribers.

What This Means for UK Viewers:

The announcement from Warner Bros. Discovery’s earnings call has injected a fresh wave of optimism among UK viewers regarding the launch of Max, a scenario that seemed increasingly uncertain.

Previously, the intricate web of content agreements with Sky and strategic global partnerships had cast a shadow over the possibility of Max arriving as a standalone service.

These existing arrangements, coupled with the company’s focus on leveraging partnerships in other markets (such as with Sky in New Zealnd, recently), raised doubts about its commitment to directly entering the UK streaming scene.

However, the explicit commitment to a 2026 launch has dispelled these doubts, signalling Warner Bros. Discovery’s intention to carve out a direct-to-consumer space in the UK.

There’s one question that still remains, though – Sky’s current deal with Warner Bros. Discovery will supposedly end in 2025, therefore it remains to be seen what happens between then – and Max’s potential UK launch in 2026.

And of course – some may still say that getting yet another standalone streaming service in the UK is one too many – but that remains to be seen.

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