HBO Max will be the home of Harry Potter and Game of Thrones spin-offs. Does it have the hits to take on Netflix and Disney?
It’s the home of “prestige TV”, winning awards for groundbreaking dramas from The Sopranos to Succession.
But do viewers, already paying £1,000 a-year to watch the six most popular streamers, love HBO enough to invest in yet another subscription?
HBO Max, bringing together HBO’s drama and comedy series, Warner Bros movies and superhero films from the DC Universe, will land in an already crowded UK TV marketplace in March 2026, the company announced.
Industry experts predict HBO Max could struggle to break into a saturated streaming market wth two-thirds of UK households already subscribing to at least one of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney+.
Viewers would already pay £83.94 a-month for access to the top six streamers, as well as £14.50 for the BBC licence fee.
The fourth most popular streamer in the US, where its premium ad-free tier costs $22.99 a-month (£17), HBO Max promises to take on Netflix, Disney and Amazon Prime with a line-up featuring the likes of Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon, The White Lotus and Euphoria along with blockbuster movies Superman and The Batman.
Max exclusives will include a new comedy drama written by and starring Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters) and The Pitt, a hospital-set series from the team behind ER, starring Noah Wyle.
However HBO Max’s star attraction, a JK Rowling-backed blockbuster new Harry Potter series, currently shooting at the Warner Bros studios in Leavesden and set to run for ten years, won’t be ready for screens until 2027.
There is uncertainty over Max’s long-term prospects after Netflix agreed to buy HBO parent company Warner Bros Discovery’s film and TV assets in a $82.7bn (£62bn) deal on Friday.
Netflix would be able to use its ownership of the HBO catalogue, Warner Bros studios and DC Comics properties to expand into theme parks and live shows.
And it could bundle Max and its own streamer together in a single package, potentially reducing prices for customers, if regulators approve the deal. New owners could also make changes to HBO’s top team and its Max strategy.
Asked whether HBO Max would continue as a separate streaming service after a takeover, Netflix co-chief executive Greg Peters said he believed the HBO brand was important for consumers. He added: “We think it’s quite early to get into the specifics of how we’re going to tailor this offering for consumers.”
On a visit to London to unveil Max this week, HBO boss Casey Bloys said it was “business as usual” despite the behind-the-scenes negotiations.
But with only a limited number of new shows in the pipeline, Max will market itself as the only place to binge on whole series from TV’s golden age.
Succession and The Wire to disappear from Sky – and Friends has a new home
The Sopranos, The Wire, Succession, Curb Your Enthusiasm and other shows from the HBO library, currently available through Sky, are set to disappear from the satellite broadcaster.
New series of shows previously available on Sky, like The White Lotus – a fourth season set on the French Riviera is due in 2026 – and The Last of Us, will continue to run on the platform, to avoid annoying viewers.
When HBO Max launches in Britain and Ireland, Sky subscribers will be offered its basic tier, with advertising, at no extra cost.
The biggest attraction for potential Max subscribers could be repeats of the perennially popular Friends. The sitcom is leaving Netflix at the end of the year, leaving fans “heartbroken”.
Friends runs on Max in the US and The i Paper understands that the show will find a new home on the UK streamer following its launch
The Cordbusters TV insiders website warned: “It sounds like the best of both worlds – Sky keeps HBO content, and customers get an extra streaming service thrown in.”
“But let’s be honest about what’s really happening here. For years, HBO’s content has been one of Sky’s biggest draws. When your mate mentioned the latest episode of Succession, they were watching it on Sky Atlantic. That exclusivity is about to end.”
New Game of Thrones spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, will drop on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK in January, simultaneously with its US release on Max. But future Game of Thrones-related series and other HBO content will migrate to its own streamer.
Tom Harrington, head of TV and media firm Enders Analysis, said: “It will take a lot of work to grow HBO Max, at least quickly, beyond those Sky homes. It’s a mature market where most probably feel they already have everything they need.”
Reality shows commissioned over high-end drama
After lavishing billions of dollars on new shows in a battle for subscribers, streamers are cutting spending, favouring cheaper reality shows over high-end drama.
The era of “peak TV”, initiated by The Sopranos and HBO’s The Wire introducing a literary-style sophistication to television storytelling, is over, as commercial pressures narrow ambitions, some critics claim.
Harrington said “buzzy” new HBO series such as Barry, I Love LA, The Rehearsal, The Chair Company might win awards but “don’t seem to resonate” with UK audiences like their predecessors.
He added: “HBO Max will start with a decent subscriber base which means that new programmes have the potential to reach some sort of critical mass through word of mouth to convince new subscribers to give it a go.”
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Media analyst Alex DeGroote said: “I doubt this WBD initiative will have mass market appeal. The streaming market is already saturated in the UK and Ireland and consumers have no more money. But also WBD itself is unlikely to be an independent company, around the time of launch. So it seems like a product launch which doesn’t sit well with the future of the parent company.”
Warner Bros Discovery said HBO Max will deliver “the most unique and captivating stories, ranging from the highest quality in scripted programming, movies, documentaries, and true crime to adult animation.
“HBO Max is the destination for prestigious entertainment brands such as HBO, Warner Bros., Max Originals, DC, Harry Potter, all in one place.”
Prices for HBO Max, expected to be offered in three tiers, will be revealed closer to the March 2026 launch.
