HBO Max has revealed that it will be launching in seven additional countries in 2022: Turkey, Greece, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands. Notably, these are countries where HBO has had little to no presence in the past, a sign of its global ambitions for the streaming platform.
At a Europe launch event on Tuesday, Christina Sulebakk, general manager for HBO Max EMEA, also said that HBO Max in Europe will get Warner Media theatrical releases 45-days after their theatrical launch, matching what WarnerMedia recently announced it would be doing in Asia. The new windowing starts this year in the Nordics, and next year in Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Greece, Iceland and Central and Eastern Europe.
According to WarnerMedia’s head of HBO Max global Johannes Larcher, the company is aiming to be in 190 countries by 2026. Today’s announcements bring the European rollout total to 27 territories across phase one.
Previous European countries set to receive the WarnerMedia-owned streamer in 2022 include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
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Pricing details for the original six European territories were also shared, and will have Scandinavians feeling good as Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland will all see their subscription prices drop, with Spain and Andorra staying the same.
Additionally, each subscriber in those countries will be able to get 12 months of the service for the cost of only eight months.
In Sweden and Norway, HBO Max will cost a bit more than $10/month, or around $81/year, in Denmark $9.20/month or $70/year, and in Finland and Spain $10.40/month or €80/year.
During the event, teasers and clips were shared for several key upcoming HBO Max titles including “Game of Thrones” spinoff “House of the Dragon,” a brief excerpt from the upcoming third season of “Succession” and a cheeky diner scene from “Suicide Squad” spinoff “Peacemaker.” Sarah Jessica Parker also showed up and announced that the “Sex and the City” reboot “And Just Like That…” will be launching this December.
“HBO Max is coming to Europe, bringing with it the best films and TV from 100 years of Warner Bros. together with HBO, Max Originals, DC and Cartoon Network,” said Larcher. “From ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ to ‘The Matrix,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ to ‘Mare of Easttown,’ ‘The Flight Attendant’ to ‘Gossip Girl,’ ‘Superman’ to ‘The Joker’ and Bugs Bunny to Scooby Doo, we truly have something for everyone in the family to enjoy, with a superior viewing experience. Soon HBO Max will have lit up in 27 territories in Europe, and 67 around the world – and we’re not finished yet, with much more to come as we aspire to be present in 190 territories by 2026.”
“We have been entertaining fans in Europe since our first HBO TV channel launched in Hungary back in 1991 and have been streaming on the continent for more than a decade with our HBO branded streaming services,” said Sulebakk. “HBO Max represents the arrival of a new service that will take this to another level, offering an enhanced viewing experience and a much broader content line-up of the best entertainment for all the family at a very attractive price point. We are delighted to be bringing HBO Max to Europe for fans and customers to enjoy.”