HBO Max Invades Europe with Germany, Italy, and UK Launches

Warner Bros. Discovery is bringing HBO Max to several of Europe’s largest markets, with a planned launch in Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein on January 13, 2026. The expansion will continue with a U.K. and Ireland rollout in March 2026, marking a direct challenge to established streaming players.

• The playbook: The move is designed to grow a global subscriber base of nearly 130 million by deploying a mix of blockbuster content, local originals, and live sports. The service will be offered across three subscription tiers—Basic with Ads, Standard, and Premium—with prices in Germany starting around €6 per month.

• Global hits, local flavor: Viewers will get the full HBO and Max Originals catalog, including hits like House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. To appeal to local tastes, the service is also debuting original German and Italian productions, including the gangster prequel 4 Blocks Zero in Germany and a new drama based on the murder of Melania Rea in Italy.

• Sports and frenemies: Live sports will be a key differentiator, with the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics available to all subscribers and a separate add-on for Eurosport's tennis and cycling coverage. The expansion also alters the streaming landscape where HBO content has historically been exclusive to Sky; while HBO Max is now the new home, an expanded partnership means the shows will remain on Sky for now.

WBD is leveraging its full arsenal to make a serious play for Europe, but its tangled relationship with Sky shows the complexity of unwinding old deals while forging a new direct-to-consumer. The European rollout comes as parent company Warner Bros. Discovery is reportedly the subject of a bidding war. To bolster its library, HBO Max is also striking lucrative content deals with local German studios for popular films.