Two month countdown to the launch of Warner Bros Discovery’s all-in-one streaming service Max across much of Europe.
- Streaming services arrives in Nordics, Iberia, Central and Eastern Europe on 21st May
- Poland, the Netherlands, France and Belgium to follow this year.
- Max launch in UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy delayed by Sky deal
Max will bring together content available on HBO Max and Discovery+ on to a comprehensive all-in-one streaming service.
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) will launch Max on Tuesday 21st May 2024 across much of Europe, including Spain and Portugal, Nordic countries, plus most of Central and Eastern Europe.
Shortly thereafter, and expected before the start of the Olympics, Max will debut in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland. The launch of Max in Europe will be marked by the return of the highly anticipated House of the Dragon Season 2. The series debuts on Max on 17th June across Europe.
In total, 25 countries in Europe will have access to Max within the next few months.
A sports add-on will offers fans access to a range of sports content. Content will vary from country-to-country. And Max will offer live streaming of WBD’s linear channels, including CNN International in France and Poland, TVN in Poland, Kanal 5 in Sweden, and Eurosport in all countries.
Rollout still pending in UK and other countries
But viewers in countries where Sky operates its pay TV and streaming services will have to wait until the end of next year (2025).
WBD is currently bound by a long-term deal, that was signed by HBO’s former owners. As a result, HBO content will appear on Sky’s linear TV and streaming services in the UK, Ireland, Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland until the end of next year.
This means there’s not much value in launching Max in these countries just yet, as it would not offer much more than the current Discovery+ service.
Marc Thornham
[Image: WBD]