The launch in Europe is set for May 21, and Max will expand to the Nordics, Iberia, and Central and Eastern Europe. It will also launch in Poland, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium shortly after.
The release is planned to coincide with the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will be available on Max in Europe. Additionally, the launch of “House of the Dragon” Season 2 will happen on June 21. Paris 2024 will be part of all subscription plans. In the U.S., the Olympics will be on Peacock.
This expansion is happening as international competition becomes an important factor in the streaming industry, with Netflix currently leading globally with over 260 million subscribers.
After being introduced in the U.S. in May 2023 and in Latin America and the Caribbean earlier this year, Max will expand to 25 European countries and 65 countries and territories worldwide.
The Sports Add-On will offer extensive coverage of major international and European sports, including tennis Grand Slams, cycling Grand Tours, the Tour de France, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and major winter sports events. Rights will differ by country.
Some Max plans will include flagship live linear networks in select countries, such as CNN International in France and Poland, TVN in Poland, TV Norge in Norway, Kanal 5 in Sweden, and Eurosport in all countries.
Detailed pricing information will be announced soon and will vary by country. However, these are the Max plans that will be accessible in Europe.
Basic with Ads Plan:
- This plan will offer Max at a reduced price and will feature ads. It will first be available in nine European countries before expanding to others, starting with Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Romania, Poland, France, and Belgium.
- Users can stream content on 2 devices simultaneously and access it in Full HD resolution.
- Standard Plan:
- Users can stream content on 2 devices simultaneously and access it in Full HD resolution. They can also download up to 30 pieces of content for offline viewing.
Premium Plan:
- This plan offers the best consumer experience and allows streaming on up to 4 devices at the same time. It provides Full HD or 4K resolution and Dolby Atmos sound, where available. Users can download up to 100 pieces of content for offline viewing, with limitations.
- Sports Add-On:
- The Sports Add-On offers coverage of major sports events, including Grand Slam tennis, cycling’s Grand Tours, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2, and more.
Customers should check local listings for rights availability in their countries.
- The Sports Add-On can be added to any base plan and allows streaming of sports content on 2 devices alongside the base plan streams.
- Current HBO Max subscribers can switch to Max and keep their existing profiles and viewing history, picking up where they left off. The HBO Max app may be automatically updated to the Max app on certain devices or operating systems. On other devices, users will be asked to download the new Max app when they open the HBO Max app, so they can start exploring the new platform with just a few clicks.
- Details on how to subscribe to Max will be provided to Discovery+ and Eurosport premium SVOD subscribers at a later time.
- The rollout is also timed to coincide with the second season of “House of the Dragon”
Sports Add-On:
- The Sports Add-On will provide coverage of top sports events including Grand Slam tennis, cycling’s Grand Tours, 24 Hours of Le Mans, the live linear networks Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 and much more.
- Customers should check local listings for rights availability in their countries.
- The Sports Add-On is sold as an add-on to any base plan.
- Users can stream sports content on 2 devices simultaneously (of their available base plan streams).
Existing HBO Max subscribers will be able to switch to Max while keeping their current profiles, and viewing history, continuing where they left off. In some cases, depending on device or operating system, the HBO Max app will be automatically updated to the Max app. In other cases, when users open their HBO Max app, they will be prompted to download the new Max app, allowing them to begin exploring the new platform in just a few clicks.
Discovery+ and Eurosport premium SVOD subscribers will be given details in due course about how to subscribe to Max.
