Major US streaming platform confirms UK launch with critically acclaimed shows like The Last of Us
THE streaming platform that brought American viewers shows like The Last of US and The White Lotus is finally coming to the UK.
But viewers will have to wait until 2026.
Warner Bros. Discovery has confirmed that it plans to launch Max - formerly known as HBO Max - in the UK.
The streaming app is jam-packed with top shows that are currently watchable to UK viewers via Sky and the Now TV app.
The move comes as a result of its ending partnership with Sky, which owns Now TV.
This arrangement has been in place since 2010, and was extended in 2019.
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But with other studies, like Disney+ and Paramount+, launching their own standalone streaming services, bosses at Max think now is the time to forge a path on its own.
With Max licensing contracted to Sky, Warner Bros. has effectively been barred from launching its own app in the UK.
It's understood shows from Max that are airing via Sky or Now TV will cease streaming on 31 December 2025.
So viewers still have a long time to make use of their current subscriptions and finish the series they've been watching.
In an earnings call on Friday, David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. said: “We are excited that in 2024, we’re getting back to growth in new market rollouts.
“Asia and Australasia will likely be more by 2025. And then the rest of the European markets for now slated more for 2026.”
Zaslav noted that the UK, Germany and Italy are key markets that the company wants to bring Max to.
Will viewers care for another streaming app?
Analysis by Millie Turner, Technology & Science Reporter for The Sun.
Max - formerly HBO Max - is finally coming to the UK.
And while Warner Bros. will have certainly mapped out its potential consumer market across the country and the rest of Europe - will Brits really buy into another streaming app?
Following the announcement, social media - unexpectedly - didn't flood with viewers exuding relief and excitement that their long wait was over.
Sentiment towards streaming apps is growing more sour worldwide, but particularly in the UK, as consumers feel 'nickle and dimed' into price hikes.
Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video all either increased their subscription costs last year, or brought previously free features behind a paywall.
That, alongside a Netflix-induced trend to block account sharing among family and friends, has left consumers feeling either ripped off - or that they need to trim down the number of apps they watch.
Plenty of social media users have vowed to stop paying for another streaming service, and are instead hopping from one to the next with monthly memberships.
Where this decision will leave Sky and Now TV is also in question, but it could make their offerings less attractive to consumers.
"It isn't until 2026, but I am certainly not paying £6 a month for Sky's own content," one viewer on X (previously Twitter) following the Warner Bros. announcement.
Do you have room in your life for another app?