HBO Max is entering the next phase of its European distribution.
Angela Lang / CNET
And just like that HBO Max expands its global reach. The streamer plans to expand in Europe next month, owner WarnerMedia said on Tuesday, launching in 15 additional countries and territories there on March 8. HBO Max did not share pricing details for the new markets.
This will make HBO Max – which already operates in the US, Latin America and other parts of Europe such as Spain and Sweden – available in a total of 61 countries. The service plans to expand to six other countries later this year, including Greece and Turkey.
But the licensing agreement with Sky TV currently prevents HBO Max from launching in the UK, Germany, France and Italy, four of Europe’s largest markets. Sky TV has exclusive rights to content on HBO and Warner Bros., and the distribution deal does not expire until 2025.
Global expansion is central to HBO Max’s race against competitors such as Netflix, Disney Plus and other services to dominate the future of streaming television. With global prestige in its HBO brand and millions of dollars invested in genuine programming, HBO Max hopes it could become one of the few services you should have in large parts of the world. HBO Max and traditional HBO networks ended 2021 with 73.8 million global subscribers in between. Netflix, by comparison, had 222 million, and Disney Plus recorded 118 million in early October.
From March 8th, the service will launch in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Northern Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Earlier in Europe, HBO Max was released in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain and Andorra in October.