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HBO Max will make its debut in the UK in March.
It follows the launch of the streamer in Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein on January 13, 2026. For those who don't know, HBO Max is a competitor to the likes of Disney+, Paramount+, Prime Video, and Netflix from US network HBO. Even if you don't recognise the name, you'll know many of its shows.
That's because HBO is the US network behind some of the biggest breakout hits of recent years on Sky Atlantic, like The Last of Us, Euphoria, The White Lotus, Succession, Heated Rivalry, And Just Like That, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Big Little Lies, The Pitt, It: Welcome to Derry, The Flight Attendant, The Penguin, and more.
It's also behind several must-binge boxsets from the last two decades, with many of its cinematic series earning a flurry of awards, including The Wire, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, True Detective, Band of Brothers, True Blood, and Six Feet Under.
HBO is owned by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, so the Netflix rival has a catalogue brimming with movies like DC’s Superman, which hit multiplexes from Guardians of the Galaxy writer-director James Gunn last summer, New Line Cinema’s horror hit Weapons and The Conjuring: Last Rites. You'll also find the complete Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film sagas, as well as the Lord of the Rings trilogy. For those looking for further thrills, step into the world of Arrakis in Dune or crime-riddled Gotham in The Batman.
HBO Max brings together hit shows and documentaries from the US network HBO, Cartoon Network and others, as well as films from studios like Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, to name just a few
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To mark its arrival in Europe, HBO has commissioned a wave of exclusive Local programming, such as Marco Bellocchio’s Portobello, starring Fabrizio Gifuni, for the Italian market. Banksters, a German heist drama based on a true story, will also premiere on the platform worldwide in February. More is planned later this year.
Discussing the upcoming launch, CEO and President of Global Streaming & Games at Warner Bros. Discovery, JB Perrette said: "It is exciting to kick off the New Year by expanding into some of the biggest economies in the world, as we continue to deliver HBO Max to new viewers.
"Fans in these markets have a lot to look forward to, with some incredible titles and events coming to the platform. Next up is the launch of HBO Max in the UK and Ireland in late March, which will complete HBO Max’s rollout across Europe."
Sky Stream, pictured above, brings the same experience as Sky Glass to any flatscreen via a HDMI connection. Its EntertainmentOS supports the most popular streamers, including Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Netflix — with the software intelligently recommending new series and films based on your viewing habits
| SKY TV PRESS OFFICEBut what has all of this got to do with Sky TV?
Chances are, if you've been living in the UK, you probably associate all of the shows listed above with Sky Atlantic, the flagship channel of the satellite broadcaster. For years, Sky held the exclusive rights to broadcast HBO shows in the UK. But with the introduction of dedicated streaming services from the media giants behind some of Hollywood's biggest shows and films, its stranglehold on content has waned slightly.
Following the arrival of Disney+ in early 2020, Walt Disney started to reduce the channels, blockbuster films, and on-demand boxsets available on Sky Q, Sky Stream, and Sky Glass TVs.
Sky Stream has never been this affordable. The broadcaster has just launched an affordable new bundle of channels and on-demand services, dubbed TV Essentials. It includes its plug-and-play Sky Stream box, over 100 live channels including Sky Atlantic — the exclusive home of shows like Game of Thrones, And Just Like That, and The White Lotus. You'll also find a subscription to Netflix and Discovery+ included too and can upgrade to Sky Cinema and Sky Sports at an extra cost.
Sky Stream
£15
Sky responded by supporting Disney+ across its SkyOS software that powers its latest hardware efforts.
With the threat to pull its boxsets and blockbusters from Sky TV, the British broadcaster filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery over rights to co-produce shows, including the upcoming Harry Potter series, which will film in Leavesden in the UK. Ultimately, that wasn't necessary with Sky TV confirming in December 2024 that its viewers would be able to enjoy HBO shows for years to come.
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Sky secured a deal to keep Warner Bros. films and shows from HBO on its platforms in December 2024
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Following the announcement of this reinforced partnership, Sky TV dropped legal action.
Under the new deal, not only will existing HBO shows remain on Sky Atlantic, but the entire catalogue from Warner Bros. Discovery's Max streaming service will be available to Sky Glass and Sky Stream viewers. NOW, formerly NOW TV, which is owned and operated by Sky TV, will also keep HBO shows like House of the Dragon and The Gilded Age.
The renewed agreement also ensures Warner Bros. movies will still be available to watch on Sky TV, since these have been a core part of the Sky Cinema catalogue for some time. If you have a subscription to Sky TV, you'll still be able to watch everything under the HBO brand alongside Sky Original productions and everything available with a Netflix Standard with Ads subscription, with prices from just £15 per month.
But for the first time, this won't be the only way to access HBO shows in the UK.
Discussing the monumental deal, Sky Group CEO Dana Strong said: "This deal builds on our remarkable achievements this year. We have secured most major sports rights through to the end of the decade, extended our content partnerships, and progressed our transition from satellite to IP, with 9 out 10 new customers choosing Sky Glass or Sky Stream. This partnership solidifies Sky as the ultimate TV destination and the preferred partner of choice for streamers, rights holders and content creators alike."
Strong added: "This new partnership provides an expanded range of content for our customers to enjoy Warner Bros. Discovery’s popular storytelling through Max. The combination of content from our partners, alongside our slate of Sky Originals, and Sky’s leading aggregation of the UK and Ireland’s best content apps gives us an unrivalled entertainment proposition and an exceptional line-up of the world’s best shows.”
When HBO Max does arrive in a few weeks, it will be available to download across some of the platforms, including iPhone, Android, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Google TV, and many more.
Exclusive HBO shows, currently only available on Sky Atlantic, will still be included as standard with all Sky TV packages ...but these will also be accessible to stream and download via the HBO Max app, which will launch as a standalone service with a cancel-anytime subscription, like Netflix
| WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY PRESS OFFICEThere's no word on UK pricing yet, although parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has confirmed that it'll launch the streamer with four subscription tiers:
- Basic with Ads | Stream on 2x devices in Full High Definition (HD)
- Standard | Stream on 2x devices in Full High Definition (HD), with 30 downloads for offline viewing (limits apply)
- Premium | Stream on 4x devices in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos and 100 downloads (limits apply)
- Sports Add-on | This can be added to any plan. Sports will contain ads. Limited to 2x of your available streams
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