HBO Max has already been available in the USA for almost four years. Now the streaming service is also conquering Europe. Now that the competitor to the top dogs Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney can already be used in 20 European countries, it will soon be coming to Germany.
HBO Max on the rise
Streaming services are already a dime a dozen. However, this is not stopping some companies from putting their expansion plans into action. This applies to the successful HBO Max service, among others. And the figures are likely to make the traditional providers Netflix, Disney and co. shiver. Just under a year ago, the Warner media company’s streaming service celebrated a successful relaunch.
Since then, Max has collected around 100 million subscribers. Only Disney (170 million) and Netflix (270 million) have more. However, both competitors have been on the market for several years. If Warner has its way, HBO Max will soon be on the hunt for new subscribers in Germany too. This is by no means the provider’s European premiere.
Max is currently already available in 20 European countries such as Spain and Sweden. The UK, Italy and Germany are to be added by 2026. The streaming service will not only be chasing subscribers in France this year with exclusive series and films, but also with the broadcast of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Legal hurdles delay launch in Germany
Some people may be annoyed that Max is not already available in Germany. But there are reasons for this. Contracts between Warner, the media group behind HBO Max, and RTL and Sky are still ongoing. According to a report by Golem, these are set to run until the end of 2025. If the information is correct, a launch in Germany would not be possible until 2026. It remains to be seen how successful an HBO Max can be in this country. It can be assumed that successful HBO series such as Game of Thrones or The Last of Us alone can generate many subscribers.