UPDATE, 10.50am P.T.: The long-awaited launch of HBO Max in the UK will take place in “late March,” according to Casey Bloys.
Talking at a content showcase held in central London this evening in the UK, in which journalists were given a sneak peak at HBO’s 2026, the Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content revealed the planned timeline for the UK and Ireland. The news followed this morning’s announcement that HBO Max is launching in the likes of Germany and Italy on January 13.
The launches of HBO in the UK, Germany and Italy have been among the most intriguing of the HBO Max global rollout due to Warner Bros. Discovery’s long-term deals with Sky for HBO programming.
WBD had previously said HBO Max would launch in the UK and Ireland in “early 2026, and now we have confirmation.”
PREVIOUSLY: 1.00 am P.T.: HBO Max’s long-awaited launches in Germany and Italy will take place on January 13, 2026.
The Warner Bros. Discovery service will also go live in Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein on the same day, marking a key expansion. No word, however, as to when HBO Max goes live in the UK.
HBO Max is already available in more than 100 territories, offering streaming content from HBO, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, the DC Universe and Max Originals.
With Germany and Italy among the most key launches for HBO Max, WBD is also rolling out a series of new originals for the launches. From Germany is 4 Blocks Zero, a prequel of gangster drama 4 Blocks, and Banksters, a heist drama based on a true story – both produced by W&B Television.
Also coming in 2026 is a Beetz Brothers documentary by Beetz Brothers about the theft of the ‘Big Maple Leaf’ gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum. In addition, creators Jantje Friese and Baran Bo Odar from Dark Ways will produce a thriller series in which the dark tales of ‘Struwwelpeter’ become gruesome reality.
Out of Italy is a scripted show based around the 2011 murder of Melania Rea, played by Maria Esposito. Marco Bellocchio’s Portobello, about Italian TV host Enzo Tortora’s fight to clear his name after being wrongfully accused of mafia ties in the 1980s launches on February 20.
There will also be docs such as Gina Lollobrigida: Diva Contesa, an account of the battle over the legacy of a cinema icon and an intense family melodrama, and Saman, about the struggle for freedom of a young Pakistani woman murdered by her own family clan for refusing an arranged marriage.
In Germany, HBO Max will get local and international films through lucrative output agreements with Leonine Studios and Constantin Film, along with German Warner Bros. Pictures productions like Wunderschöner. Via the Leonine deal, HBO Max will debut in the pay 1 window movies such as The Hunger Games — Sunrise On The Reaping, The Housemaid, and Asterix: The Kingdom of Nubia.
In addition, the agreement includes non-exclusive SVOD rights to other top titles from LEONINE Studios’ premium library.
HBO Max Italy will exclusively play Nonostante, the latest film directed by and starring Valerio Mastandrea, which was chosen to open the Orizzonti section of the 81st Venice Film Festival. In Februar,, Daniele Barbiero’s film debut starring Lorenzo Zurzolo and James Franco, Squali, will be added.
At launch, the service will be offering The Pitt, IT: Welcome to Derry, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Euphoria, Industry and new French local original The Seduction. On January 19, A Game of Thrones prequel series Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be added.
HBO Max also offers movies such as Superman, The Batman, Dune and Harry Potter movies, and will soon add Weapons and The Conjuring: Last Rites coming soon. Library shows such as Friends, The Big Bang Theory and Rick and Morty and docs and unscripted series are also included.
On the sports side, HBO Max will be offering the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina, which runs February 6-22 across all subscription plans. The Australian Open and Roland-Garros tennis slams will be offered as add-ons, as will the Tour de France. In Germany and France, will have access to the World Championships and World Cup winter sports events, and Italian subs will get English FA Cup and UFC coverage.
JB Perrette, CEO and President of Global Streaming and Games at WBD, said: “We are thrilled to bring HBO Max and the stories that stick with you to new countries across Europe this January. With our strongest line-up of U.S. and local HBO series yet, blockbuster local and international movies, and the Olympic Winter Games, it is the perfect time to make HBO Max available directly to subscribers. It has never been easier to enjoy the most talked-about series, hit movies, unmissable live sports, and extraordinary real-life stories.”
HBO Max launched first in the U.S. in 2020 and has since expanded across Latin America, Europe, Central Asia and Asia Pacific. The service, for a period known simply as Max, will complete its European roll out in the UK and Ireland in “early 2026,” according to WBD, which says it has 128 million streaming subscribers.
