WarnerMedia announced on Wednesday that it will launch HBO Max, its direct-to-consumer streaming platform, in Europe, on October 26. The first six countries in Europe to gain access to the platform will be Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain, and Andorra.
HBO Max will be unveiled at a virtual launch event that will also introduce the content being offered, and the pricing.
“This is a historic moment as HBO Max lands in Europe,” said Johannes Larcher, Head of HBO Max International. “WarnerMedia movies and series like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and The Big Bang Theory are passionately consumed by fans all across Europe, and HBO Max has been created to provide them with the most intuitive and convenient viewing experience to watch these and a diverse range of other amazing titles.”
WarnerMedia additionally announced HBO Max’s roll-out to 14 territories in 2022, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
The company recently revealed that it also plans to expand into Asia, and specifically India, with HBO Max.
During a media and telecommunications conference on Tuesday, Larcher said, “We aspire to be in India with HBO Max at some point.” He added that local content will be a prerequisite for success in the country. However, he provided no timeline for the move into India.
Meanwhile, rumours about the launch of HBO Max in India erupted after WarnerMedia announced a new release strategy for Warner Bros films on HBO Go, the company’s video on demand platform, in Asia. As per the new plan, Warner Bros releases like The Suicide Squad will be available to stream on HBO Go as early as 45 days after their in-market theatrical premiere in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
There has, however, been no India-specific announcement from the company.
But, on Tuesday, OnlyTech reported the assumed pricing that HBO Max is apparently eyeing ahead of a potential India launch.
As per the report, the streaming platform will have Indian original content featuring stars like Saif Ali Khan, Alia Bhatt, and Anil Kapoor, and directors like Anurag Kashyap and Vishal Bharadwaj.
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Subscribers will reportedly have a choice of three monthly plans and two annual plans. All five plans will offer access to content in all languages and allow the creation of up to five viewer profiles.
The ad-supported plan, priced at Rs 69 per month, will reportedly allow streaming in Standard Definition (SD) on up to two concurrent devices. If HBO Max is launched with this plan as its starting point, it will be the lowest price that any international OTT platform has offered in the country yet.
The mobile plan, priced at Rs 139 a month, will reportedly allow ad-free SD streaming but only on a single mobile or tablet at a time. The standard plan, priced at Rs 329 a month, will allow ad-free streaming in 4K resolution on up to three concurrent devices.
The annual plans will reportedly comprise two price brackets: a mobile plan priced at Rs 1,001 and a standard plan priced at Rs 1,974.