Bundling has been one of 2025’s strongest success stories for streamers looking to expand their reach and bring in new subscribers, even in relatively saturated markets. HBO Max seems keen on getting themselves a share of that bundling magic, at least for their Southeast Asian markets. We have entertainment lawyer Los Angeles Brandon Blake, of Blake & Wang P.A., to share the news.
HBO Max and Viu Partnership
Viu, mostly known for its original Chinese and Korean dramas, will be HBO Max’s partner in core Southeast Asian markets, including Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore, with a Q4 mutual launch planned.
This is set to be one of the first major multi-market bundling deals we have seen for the Asia-Pacific territories, although bundling of all kinds has been a major theme this year.
Other Partnerships
HBO had actually launched its streaming services in seven Asian territories as of November last year, when the service was still known as Max. They are still currently operating in the area, under the newly reclaimed HBO Max moniker. However, they are hoping to put Viu’s established market presence to work for them, buoyed by their own impressive back-catalog of glittery and high-demand original titles in return. We are also seeing some deals for Viu content to be released on their North American services.
As Warner Bros. seeks to distance itself from its lackluster post-merger performance alongside Discovery, and as it prepares to again split the two companies into stand-alone entities, it’s unsurprising that we would see a renewed focus on expanding the reach of its flagship streaming platform. It will be interesting to see how much market appeal the two-for-one bundle has in its home territories, and if Warner Bros. can put that to work for them.
Film and Television 