MOVIE NEWS – WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer streaming platform, HBO Max, today revealed details about its SVOD service at a virtual launch event. HBO Max will be the first in Europe to bring together the best entertainment, movies, children’s programming and self-produced series from Warner Bros, HBO, DC, Cartoon Network and Max Originals on a single platform.

HBO Max has announced that its service will be available in 27 territories in the initial phase of its European rollout, starting in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain and Andorra on 26 October 2021, and then in Central and Eastern Europe and Portugal in 2022. Next year, it will be launched in seven more countries – the Netherlands, Turkey, Greece, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Three striking new series

As part of the launch event, the Game of Thrones – House of Dragons, and an exclusive teaser from Peacemaker and the third season of Revolution was also shown. Sarah Jessica Parker announced that her new series And Just Like That… will debut in December.

HBO Max will offer a compelling selection of content for all ages across five groups of popular WarnerMedia family brands – Warner Bros, HBO, Max Originals, DC and Cartoon Network. In a further innovation, fans and customers will be able to watch the latest Warner Bros. blockbusters on HBO Max just 45 days after the theatrical release – this year in the Nordic countries and next year in Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Greece, Iceland and Central and Eastern Europe.

“HBO Max is arriving in Europe, bringing the best movies and TV shows from Warner Bros.’ century-long history along with content from HBO, Max Originals, DC and Cartoon Network,” said Johannes Larcher, head of HBO Max International. – From Fight of the Roses to The Matrix, from Game of the Thrones to Eastworld Mysteries, from The Flight Attendant to Gossip Girl – The New Gossip Girl, from Superman to The Joker and from Bugs Bunny to Scooby Doo, we truly have something for every member of the family to enjoy in the highest quality viewing experience possible. HBO Max will soon be broadcasting in 27 countries across Europe and 67 territories around the world – and that’s not all: there’s more to come as we are determined to be present in 190 territories by 2026.”

HBO Max has a rich and diverse catalogue of popular programming for all audiences. Warner Bros. titles include Harry Potter, Godzilla vs Kong, Dunkirk, Game of the Thrones, The Shining and Mechanical Orange. DC films such as The Joker, Wonder Woman 1984, Aquaman, Batman v Superman and Zack Snyder: Justice League are also included. HBO’s groundbreaking in-house series include Game of the Thrones, The Sopranos, Succession, Scenes from a Marriage, You Should Have Known, Sex and the City and Euphoria, as well as the hit Max Originals shows The Flight Attendant, Gossip Girl, The Wolf’s Den, The Wolf’s Children and Friends: Together Again are also part of the line-up, while family favourites include new releases and classics such as Tom and Jerry, Punch and Judy and Silly Tunes.

“Attractive” pricing?

HBO Max’s pricing will be “extremely attractive”, according to HBO, and will also introduce a new annual subscription plan that offers 12 months of access for the price of eight months, offering a discount of more than 30%. Pricing in Hungary will be announced closer to the domestic launch. In addition, further special introductory offers for new customers will be announced ahead of the launch of the service on 26 October.

“We’ve been entertaining movie fans in Europe since our first HBO television channel launched in Hungary in 1991 – and streaming on the continent with our HBO-branded streaming services for more than a decade. Now, with the arrival of HBO Max, a new service is available that takes this to an even higher level by offering an enhanced viewing experience and a much wider range of the best entertainment content for the whole family, at a very attractive price. We’re delighted to bring HBO Max to Europe for the enjoyment of our fans and customers here,” said Christina Sulebakk, Regional Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa, HBO Max.

In addition to iconic, world-class programming from the US, HBO Max will also host hours and hours of entertainment content from outstanding European creators under the Max Originals banner. Upcoming in-house productions include Kamikaze (Denmark), Dafne and the Others (Todo lo Otro, Spain), Farther, Juan (Venga Juan, Spain), Garcia! (Spain), the second season of Beforeigners (Norway), Ruxx (Romania), The Informer (Hungary), The Thaw (Poland) and Still Here… (Still Here, Poland) will also be featured.

New global platform

HBO Max will be launched on a new global technology platform, offering an enhanced streaming experience with new product features and functionality, as well as content tailored to each user’s specific needs through selections and recommendations. Subscribers will also be able to personalise their HBO Max profile, creating an even closer connection with the platform, and parents will be able to create child profiles with parental control settings to ensure that each child consumes age-appropriate content.

HBO Max will be available to watch on a variety of devices through various partner providers and will also be available on HBOMax.com. Customers can pay for the service through major payment partners including VISA, Mastercard and PayPal.

HBO Max will replace existing HBO-branded streaming services in 20 new territories in the Nordic countries, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe, and will be available to new and existing customers either directly or through media service partners in billed form.

Source HBO