Warner Bros Discovery is to launch HBO Max in the UK and Ireland in March next year.
Casey Bloys, chairman and chief exec of HBO and HBO Max content, confirmed the date during a global slate presentation in London on Wednesday evening.
Details of the lineup and pricing have not yet been revealed but the news comes almost a year since WBD confirmed it would not be extending its long-standing exclusive HBO output deal with Sky in the UK.
Instead, WBD and Sky parent Comcast agreed to provide an ad-supported version of HBO Max to Sky customers’ package at no extra cost.
Now unbeholden to Sky, WBD is also able to go direct to consumers with HBO Max and strike third-party deals with carriers, with execs previously pointing to the non-exclusive nature of the refreshed Sky pact.
No third-party carrier deals have yet been confirmed in the UK - aside from Sky - but WBD has form in striking agreements with companies such as Amazon in Europe and the US.
Shows such as The Penguin, The White Lotus, The Last of Us and Dune: Prophecy are all likely to become available to HBO Max subscribers.
Earlier today, WBD revealed that HBO Max would be launched in Italy and Germany on January 14 next year.
That roll-out, which also includes launches in Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, is being supported with new originals including German drama 4 Blocks Zero, a prequel to the hit gangster drama 4 Blocks but no word yet on UK originals for the streamer.
WBD launched HBO Max in the US in 2020 and has been expanding the streamer across Europe for the past two years.
It now counts almost 130 million subscribers in more than 100 markets in which it is available worldwide.
This story first appeared on Screen’s sister site Broadcast.
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