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HBO Max expands its service to 15 more countries

Ryan McNeal
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If you’ve been waiting for HBO Max to come to your region, this may be your lucky week. On Tuesday, WarnerMedia announced it extended its premium streaming platform to 15 additional European countries. This latest move continues WarnerMedia’s global HBO Max initiative and marks the second wave of their European rollout.

The 15 countries where HBO Max is now available include: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

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Launched in May 2020, the service was first made available to the United States. In June 2021, it expanded to 39 territories in Latin America and the Caribbean. By October 2021, HBO Max arrived in Europe, appearing in the Nordics, Spain, and Andorra. With these 15 new countries added to the list, HBO Max is now available in 61 territories.

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“In under 24 months, we have built a scalable streaming business present in 61 territories and counting. International is going to continue to be an important part of our global growth story going forward,” Johannes Larcher, Head of HBO Max International, said in a press release. “I am particularly proud that our presence in Central and Eastern Europe is further strengthened by today’s launch of HBO Max, and that we are doubling down on our strong commitment to fans, partners, and employees across the region during this challenging time.”

The debut of HBO Max in Central and Eastern Europe and Portugal comes with a promotion that will save viewers over 30% on their monthly membership fee for the duration of their subscription. In the Netherlands, HBO Max will launch with a standard tier and basic tier, both 50% off. The standard tier offers HD 1080p, 4K, three concurrent streams, and 30 downloads for 4 euros. While the basic tier offers HD 720p, one concurrent stream, and five downloads for 3 euros.

Unfortunately, customers in the U.K., Germany, and Italy will have to wait to get HBO Max. Currently, WarnerMedia has a lucrative exclusive content distribution agreement with British broadcaster, Sky, that’s due to expire in 2025. As long as this deal lasts, WarnerMedia has no plans to offer its streaming service in countries where Sky operates. However, WarnerMedia does plan on bringing HBO Max to Turkey, Greece, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania later this year.

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