HBO Max is debuting in Europe on October 26. Here’s why Germany and UK are not on the list

HBO Max is coming to six European markets on October 26 sans Germany and the UK, with the list of HBO Max countries expanding in 2022 to accommodate an additional 14 new nations.


STORY HIGHLIGHTS:

  • HBO Max is debuting in select 6 European countries in October
  • The service isn’t coming to Germany and UK for the time being
  • Additional markets in Europe will gain access to HBO Max in 2022

Promotional graphics showing characters from WarnerMedia and HBO Max properties, set against a purple gradient background
Image credit: WarnerMedia

6 countries in Europe getting HBO Max on October 26

HBO Max is launching in these six European countries on Tuesday, October 26, with content libraries, price points and other details set to be revealed via a virtual presser next month:

  • Andora
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • Norway
  • Spain
  • Sweden

HBO Max has confirmed the expansion with a press release on the WarnerMedia website.

Wait, what about Germany and the UK?

Eagle-eyed readers could point out that Germany and the UK are conspicuously absent from both waves of expansion. So, what about Germany and the UK, two major markets?

Christina Sulebakk, HBO Max’s general manager for the EMEA region, explained to Variety that’s because parent company WarnerMedia currently has distribution deals in Germany and the UK with Sky Atlantic and Now TV, which prevents it from launching its service there.

The Variety article doesn’t say when folks in Germany and the UK can expect to be able to sign up for HBO Max. It may take a while because WarnerMedia’s distribution deals with Sky Atlantic and Now TV need to expire before the company can launch HBO Max in those countries.

The second wave of expansion in 2022

In addition to the above countries, HBO Max will again expand to an additional 14 countries in Europe sometime in 2022, bringing a total to 30 European new markets able to use the service.

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Hungary
  • Moldova
  • Montenegro
  • North Macedonia
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia

Additional territory expansions are in the works for 2022.

What is HBO Max?

Owned by AT&T, HBO Max mixes programming sourced from the namesake premium television service HBO, WarnerMedia’s film and television properties and original content produced under the banner Max Originals, which covers series, films and specials.

HBO Max debuted in the US on May 27, 2020. In June 2021, the video-streaming service launched in 39 territories across Latin America and the Caribbean.

The standalone HBO Max service has 43.5 million subscribers in the US as of June 30, 2021. If you also throw HBO subscribers in the mix, however, you get a combined total of an impressive 67.5 million paying subscribers globally.