HBO Max comes to the UK next week, completing a worldwide rollout that started back in 2021.
The Netflix rival arrives with a swathe of award-winning boxsets, blockbuster films, documentaries, and exclusive sport fixtures via TNT Sports. While some of this catalogue is entirely new – HBO Max is the only place to watch the first two seasons of award-winning medical drama The Pitt — many of the titles have previously been available via rival services, like Netflix, discovery+, and of course, Sky Atlantic.
Even if you don’t recognise the HBO brand, you’ll probably know some of its biggest shows, which collected 142 Emmy Awards last year alone. HBO is the US network behind breakout hits like The Last of Us, Euphoria, The White Lotus, Succession, And Just Like That, House of the Dragon, Big Little Lies, The Sopranos, and many more.
There’s a slew of new arrivals coming to HBO Max in the wake of its launch, including Lanterns, based on the Green Lantern comicbook series from DC, which premieres this summer, and the feverishly anticipated new adaptation of Harry Potter that will reinterpret the bestselling books over seven seasons of cinematic television from next year.
Warner Bros. films like Academy Award-winning One Battle After Another and Sinners, as well as blockbuster smashes Superman, A Minecraft Movie, and Dune: Part One will all be available to stream.
Fan-favourite shows from the Warner Bros. television catalogue, like Friends, will also be included with an HBO Max subscription. The latter was previously available to stream on Netflix in the UK as part of a $100 million licensing deal to retain the award-winning sit-com for just one year.
TNT Sports will be transposed from discovery+ into HBO Max following its launch.
Subscribers can stream exclusive matches from the Premier League, Emirates FA Cup, and Adobe Women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Conference League, as well as every Gallagher PREM Rugby match, Premiership Women’s Rugby, more than 1,000 live cycling broadcasts each year including every stage from the Tour de France, every match from the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, every MotoGP race, plus the World Snooker Tour, the winter sports season, Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, and much more.
HBO Max will be available on almost every platform where you’d want to stream a new boxset, including set-top boxes from Sky, Virgin Media, EE, Fire TV, Roku, and Apple TV. Samsung and LG-branded Smart TVs will also carry a dedicated HBO Max app to stream movies, sports fixtures, and shows. Xbox and PlayStation are also supported.
Subscribers will be able to create up to five personalised profiles, receive tailored recommendations and enjoy features like Continue Watching and, depending on your plan, offline downloads.
Ahead of its UK release date on March 26, Warner Bros. Discovery has shared some new tidbits about the price of HBO Max, including new bundles that could save you over £131 a year.
If you pair HBO Max with an optional TNT Sports subscription to unlock live coverage of the Premier League, Roland-Garros, World Snooker Tour, and more, you’ll benefit from a generous discount at checkout.
Dubbed HBO Max with TNT Sports Saver Plans, you must commit to a 12-month minimum contract to unlock the price cut. You’ll still be billed monthly, so there’s no hefty upfront cost to worry about. Here are the bundles:
- Standard with Ads & TNT Sports – save £8.99 per month compared to buying separately / £107.88 per year
- Standard & TNT Sports – save £9.99 per month compared to buying separately / £119.88 per year
- Premium & TNT Sports – save £10.99 per month compared to buying separately / £131.88 per year
If you only want to watch TNT Sports, HBO Max will let you subscribe for a minimum 12-month term, saving £5 per month or £60 a year, when compared to the monthly plan. HBO Max is available to subscribe via your Sky TV bill and Prime Video, without the need to install a new app or set up a new account, password, and Direct Debit.
American medical procedural drama The Pitt will be exclusive to HBO Max in the UK, with the entire first season available to stream on-demand from launch day | HBO PRESS OFFICE
With more people than ever before due to start watching via HBO Max, the streamer has confirmed plans to expand its password-sharing crackdown worldwide. HBO Max CEO and President of Global Streaming JB Perrette told investors during a recent earnings call that it’s entering “the second inning of our password sharing enforcement.”
HBO Max UK Prices
| HBO Max Monthly Plans (price per month) | HBO Max with TNT Sports Monthly Plans (price per month) | HBO Max with TNT Sports Saver Plans (price per month x12. 12-month minimum term) | |
| Basic with Ads | £4.99 | N/A | N/A |
| Standard With Ads | £5.99 | £36.98 | £27.99 |
| Standard | £9.99 | £40.98 | £30.99 |
| Premium | £14.99 | £45.98 | £34.99 |
| TNT Sports Standalone | |||
| Monthly Plan (price per month) | Saver Plan (price per month x12. 12-month minimum term) | ||
| £30.99 | £25.99 |