Max to Launch in Europe in May Ahead of Olympics

Max will begin its launch in Europe on May 21, with the streamer expanding into the Nordics, Iberia, and Central and Eastern Europe. Launches will follow closely after in Poland, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium.

The rollout is timed to the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will stream on Max in Europe, as well as the launch of “House of the Dragon” Season 2 on June 17 (it debuts in the U.S. on June 16). Paris 2024 will be included in all subscription plans. In the U.S., the Olympics will be streaming on Peacock.

The expansion comes as international dominance arises as a key factor in the streaming wars, with Netflix currently the global leader with over 260 million subscribers worldwide.

These launches mean Max will be available in 25 countries in Europe and 65 countries and territories worldwide after launching in the U.S. in May 2023, and launching in Latin America and the Caribbean earlier this year.

A Sports Add-On will bring fans extensive coverage of major international and European sports including every tennis Grand Slam – Australian Open, Roland-Garros, The Championships, Wimbledon and the US Open, cycling’s three Grand Tours – 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. Rights vary between countries.

A selection of 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.

While full pricing details will be announced in the coming weeks and will vary by country, here are the Max plans that will be available in Europe.

Basic with Ads Plan:

• This plan will allow users to enjoy Max at a lower price and will include advertising.
• It will be available first in nine European countries, before expanding to others. The first countries where the Basic with Ads plan will be available are Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Romania, Poland, France and Belgium.
• Users will be able to stream content on 2 devices simultaneously. 
• Content will be available in Full HD resolution.

Standard Plan:

• Users can stream content on 2 devices simultaneously. 
• Content will be available in Full HD resolution. 
• This plan will allow up to 30 downloads of available content to watch offline.

Premium Plan:

• Provides the best consumer experience.
• Users can stream content on up to 4 devices simultaneously. 
• Full HD or 4K resolution and with Dolby Atmos sound (as available).  
• This plan will allow up to 100 downloads of available content to watch offline. (Limits apply)

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.