Variety: Comcast Gets Max U.S. Bundling Rights Under Warner Bros. Discovery Renewal Deal

Story from Variety:

Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery announced a big, multiyear cross-company distribution pact — which includes a provision that lets Comcast bundle Max in the U.S.

Under the pact, Comcast-owned TV operator Sky will launch the ad-supported version of Max in the U.K. and Ireland in early 2026 as part of a bundle on a nonexclusive basis. Comcast currently does not have plans to bundle Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max on its U.S. platforms but it has the rights to do so down the road.

Through the Max deal, Sky customers in the U.K. and Ireland will be able to stream HBO’s Harry Potter drama series in works at Warner Bros. Television, along with other Warner Bros. Discovery content. With the agreement, Sky has dropped its lawsuit against Warner Bros., filed in September, alleging breach of contract because the studio had “chosen to keep the Harry Potter Series for itself and make the blockbuster Series the cornerstone of its own Max rollout in Europe.”

Overall, the long-term agreements cover Warner Bros. Discovery’s portfolio of content for Comcast’s Xfinity and Sky U.K. and Ireland customers. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed. A source familiar with the renewal said that Comcast is paying lower carriage fees for TNT given Warner Bros. Discovery’s loss of NBA games in the U.S. starting with the 2025-26 season. But another source disputed that, saying affiliate fees for TNT and TBS paid by Comcast were flat.

For the U.S., Comcast entered into renewal agreements cover the legacy Turner and Scripps linear cable networks for Xfinity TV customers, including TNT, TBS, CNN, Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, TLC and Investigation Discovery. Previously, Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery had several carriage deals in the States with different end dates and the companies decided to do one big roll-up to cover all the relevant Warner Bros. Discovery properties.

The pact also grants Comcast continued carriage of HBO — and expands Comcast’s rights to package the ad-supported versions of Max and Discovery+ in its streaming bundles. Comcast also will continue to offer Warner Bros. Discovery content as part of the operator’s lower-cost Now TV streaming services in the U.S.

For Sky, the Comcast-Warner Bros. Discovery agreement now encompasses a new, non-exclusive ad-supported Max app when Warner Bros. Discovery launches the service in the U.K. and Ireland in early 2026. The companies also announced that Sky U.K. and Warner Bros. Discovery broadened their collaboration “to bring the very best of Warner Bros. Discovery television and movies” to Sky U.K. and NOW customers through a new long-term partnership in the U.K. and Ireland.

Warner Bros. Discovery sewed up the long-term deal with Comcast before the end of 2024 — a year before it was set to expire. The pact comes three months after Warner Bros. Discovery signed an expansive renewal with U.S. cable giant Charter Communications (also a year early). Under that deal, Charter plans to bundle ad-supported versions of Max and Discovery+ for no additional fee with Spectrum TV Select.

“We extended our partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to distribute its networks and expanded our ability to deliver its premium streaming content, including Max and Discovery+, in a way that provides more choice and flexibility to all of our customers as the video ecosystem continues to evolve,” Greg Rigdon, Comcast’s president of content acquisition, said in announcing the deal. “Through these agreements, we will bring Warner Bros. Discovery’s extensive portfolio to our customers however they want to consume the content across our existing and future linear television and streaming bundles.”

“These broad and multiyear agreements underscore the value and appeal of our linear portfolio for audiences in the U.S.,” said Bruce Campbell, Warner Bros. Discovery’s chief revenue and strategy officer, in a statement. “Sky U.K. is an ideal partner for us in the U.K. and Ireland as we prepare for Max’s launch in early 2026. We are pleased that Xfinity and Sky U.K. subscribers will continue to enjoy our award-winning and popular content on our networks and across our streaming platforms.”