Variety: Max to Launch in First European Countries in May Ahead of Olympics; Unveils Basic Ad Plan and Sports Add-On

Story from Variety:

In one of the most anticipated keynotes at Series Mania Festival, JB Perrette, president/CEO of global streaming and games at Warner Bros. Discovery, dropped the launch date for Max across the first 20 European countries on May 21.

The standalone streaming service, which will bring together content from HBO Max, Discovery and Eurosport, will begin its European roll-out in the Nordics, Iberia and Central and Eastern Europe. Perrette did not give a specific launch date for France, Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium but said it will “follow closely” and will happen prior to the Olympic Games which kick off on July 26.

Max will also offer a basic plan with ads which will including advertising and will be at a lower price, as well as a premium plan which will allow users to stream content in full HD or 4K on up to 4 devices simultaneously, and up to 100 downloads of content. Pricing will unveiled at a later stage and will vary from country to country. The basic plan with ads will first be available in nine countries, including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Romania, Poland, France and Belgium.

While the extensive coverage of the Olympic Games will be available via Eurosport in all subscription plans across 25 markets, Max will also propose a Sports Add-On which will showcase major international and European sports, including tennis tournaments such as the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, The Championships, Wimbledon and the US Open; cycling with the Giro d’Italia, La Vuelta a España, and the Tour de France, in addition to the Tour de France Femmes, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and every major winter sports World Championship and World Cup events.

The European launches of Max will also coincide with the premiere of season 2 of the HBO Original “House of the Dragon” on June 17.

The plans unveiled at Series Mania will see Max become available in 25 countries in Europe and 65 countries and territories worldwide, following its launch in the U.S. in May 2023, as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean earlier this year.

“Max is the streaming home of Warner Bros. Discovery and builds on our long heritage in Europe, bringing together an incredible breadth and depth of culture-defining entertainment from our services and networks, all in one place,” said JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming and games at Warner Bros. Discovery.

“The unrivalled content we’ve got on Max from “House of the Dragon” to Olympic Games Paris 2024 and beyond means whatever your mood or the occasion, Max has something great for everyone, every time,” Perrette continued.

Flagship live linear networks will also be available on Max in some countries in select plans including CNN International in France and Poland, TVN in Poland, TV Norge in Norway, Kanal 5 in Sweden and Eurosport in all countries.