HBO Max launches in the UK this month for under £5
HBO Max will finally launch in the UK on March 26, 2026.
The streamer, which has been slowly rolling out across Europe since late 2021, will bring a flurry of new shows, blockbuster movies, documentaries, and live sports fixtures via TNT Sports. You’ll likely recognise a good proportion of the catalogue, which has previously been available exclusively via other services in the UK, such as Sky Atlantic and Netflix.
Even if you don’t immediately recognise the HBO brand, you’ll definitely know its biggest shows, which collected 142 Emmy Awards last year alone. HBO is the US network behind some of the biggest breakout hits of recent years, like The Last of Us, Euphoria, The White Lotus, Succession, Heated Rivalry, And Just Like That, House of the Dragon, Big Little Lies, The Sopranos, The Penguin, and many more.
Until the launch of HBO Max, these must-binge boxsets were exclusively available on Sky Atlantic. If you are subscribed to a Sky TV package, the British broadcaster recently announced a shake-up to its bundles, with HBO Max included at no extra cost.
HBO Max brings together exclusive TV shows and documentaries from the HBO brand alongside films from Warner Bros.
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Fan-favourite shows from the Warner Bros. television catalogue, like Friends, will also be available on HBO Max. The latter was previously available to stream on Netflix in the UK as part of a $100 million licensing deal to retain the award-winning sit-com for just one year.
While there will be overlap between the HBO, Warner Bros. and DC Studios shows and films that are available across several streamers in the UK, going forward, HBO Max will be the exclusive home of the biggest shows and movies in its arsenal. The decade-long Harry Potter television series, which is currently filming in the UK with Nick Frost, John Lithgow, Warwick Davis, Katherine Parkinson, and Paapa Essiedu, will only be available on HBO Max.
The hotly-anticipated streamer starts from £4.99 per month – that’s £1 cheaper than the most affordable Netflix subscription. HBO Max brings together must-see shows from HBO, Warner Bros. Television, Max Originals, as well as blockbuster films from Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios.
Referring to its horde of industry awards, JB Perrette, CEO and President of Global Streaming and Games at Warner Bros. Discovery, told an audience in London ahead of the UK launch that “more is not better, better is better”.
Speaking last month during a media briefing ahead of its UK launch, Mr Perrette referred to HBO Max as having a “late-movers’ advantage,” as it arrives 14 years after Netflix and six years after Disney+ made its debut. The prestigious brand is dozens of must-binge boxsets from the last two decades, including The Wire, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, True Detective, Band of Brothers, True Blood, and Six Feet Under.
HBO is owned by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, so this Netflix rival also has a catalogue brimming with films like DC’s Superman, which arrived in multiplexes from Guardians of the Galaxy writer-director James Gunn last summer, New Line Cinema’s horror hit Weapons, and recent Academy Award-nominees like Sinners and One Battle After Another starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
You’ll also find the complete Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film sagas, as well as the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Blockbuster Sinners became the most-nominated film in the history of the Academy Awards earlier this year, and will be available to stream as part of your subscription to HBO Max
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Not only that, but HBO Max will become the new streaming home for TNT Sports – removing the popular sports-focused streamer from discovery+. Available as a standalone £30.99 subscription, the TNT Sports Plan can also be paired with HBO Max plans packed with must-binge boxsets and movies at checkout.
Subscribers can stream exclusive matches from the Premier League, Emirates FA Cup, and Adobe Women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Conference League, as well as every Gallagher PREM Rugby match, Premiership Women’s Rugby, more than 1,000 live cycling broadcasts each year including every stage from the Tour de France, every match from the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, every MotoGP race, plus the World Snooker Tour, the winter sports season, Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, and much more.
JB Perrette added: “After decades of delighting audiences in the UK and Ireland with our remarkable stories and brands, it’s a huge thrill to finally bring it all together on HBO Max, and also offer it directly to all consumers.
“Starting at just £4.99 per month or £5.99 for our complete entertainment offer – HBO Max brings the most differentiated and best streaming offer to market.”
American medical procedural drama The Pitt will be exclusive to HBO Max in the UK, with the entire first season available to stream on-demand from launch day
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HBO Max UK price plans
When it launches on March 26, HBO Max will be available in four different flavours:
- Basic with Ads – £4.99 per month | Stream on 2 devices in Full HD
- Arrives with all HBO Max shows and movies, but you’ll miss out on the most-recent films that first stream on the service following their theatrical release window
- Standard with Ads – £5.99 per month | Stream on 2 devices in Full HD, with 30x downloads
- Arrives with all HBO Max shows and movies, including the most-recent films that first stream on the service following their theatrical release window
- Standard – £9.99 per month | Stream on 2 devices in Full HD, with 30x downloads
- Arrives with all HBO Max shows and movies on an ad-free basis, including the most-recent films that first stream on the service following their theatrical release window
- Premium – £14.99 per month | Stream on 4 devices in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos and 100x downloads
- The ultimate HBO Max experience with all the best HBO Max shows and movies on an ad-free basis, including the latest movies as soon as they leave the local multiplex
- TNT Sports Plan – £30.99 per month | Adds TNT Sports 1-4, TNT Sports Ultimate, live event feeds and TNT Sports Original Documentaries. This is limited to 2x of your available streams
HBO Max will be available across all major devices, including set-top boxes from Sky TV and Virgin Media, dongles like EE TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Google TV, as well as iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, game consoles, and Smart TV platforms from LG, Roku, and Samsung.
Subscribers will be able to create up to five personalised profiles, receive tailored recommendations and enjoy features like Continue Watching and offline downloads so you can continue to watch boxsets and blockbusters when you’re on a long-haul flight or commute without a strong Wi-Fi connection.
Families will also be able to set up kid-friendly profiles with age-appropriate content and parental controls.
When the launch rolls out, you’ll be able to access this streamer via hbomax.com or via launch partners, like Sky TV and Prime Video.
Andrew Georgiou, President and Managing Director for Warner Bros. Discovery UK & Ireland and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Launching HBO Max in the UK & Ireland marks a significant moment for viewers here. HBO Max will offer them their most loved series and movies from HBO, Warner Bros. and DC Studios, alongside premium sports from TNT Sports in the UK, within an outstanding single destination for this great content and strong value proposition.
“Nowhere else will you be able to get The Pitt, House of the Dragon, Euphoria, Lanterns, Superman, One Battle After Another, as well as the eagerly awaited Harry Potter series, all together.”
