As of October 26th, HBO Max will roll out through six key European territories, with 14 other anchor territories scheduled to receive the service from next year. As the U.S subscriber boom slows, we’re seeing more and more streamers turn to international markets to bolster their balance sheet. Entertainment lawyer Brandon Blake looks at the announcement in greater detail for us.
Entertainment lawyer- Brandon Blake
For now, HBO Max is headed to Spain, Andorra, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. Existing HBO España and HBO Nordic customers can sign over alongside new customers, as can those still enjoying the HBO Go service. There’s direct billing and partner subscriptions (mainly for the smart device market) on the table, too. We will only see detailed programming and pricing details revealed at the virtual launch event in October, however. This builds on the international expansion we’ve seen for HBOMax since June this year, when the service moved into Latin America and the Caribbean territories.
HBO has a long history of relationships with pay-TV and third-party distributors that may now hamper them as they transition to direct-to-consumer operation. Italy, Germany, and the UK will stay off the cards even through the extended 2022 expansion, for example. There’s a distribution deal with Sky in place which predates WarnerMedia’s entry into direct streaming. It’s scheduled to expire only in 2025, although rumor has it that HBO is currently seeking an earlier exit. Whether or not they can secure this may determine their European saturation and market reach at a time when almost every other streamer is also pushing for domination here.
The service will entice its European viewers with content like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and TheBig Bang Theory, which could prove strong draw cards in the competition for subscribers. We will be watching the rollout carefully, and continue to report back on key developments as they emerge.
Film and Television 