HBO Max’s Australian rollout will form the model for Warner Bros. Discovery’s next major wave of international expansion, with launches scheduled in the UK, Germany, and Italy in early 2026.
When HBO Max launched in Australia in March 2025, it entered one of the world’s most competitive streaming markets in a landscape filled with heavyweights like Disney+, Prime Video, Netflix, and Foxtel’s Binge and Kayo.
The platform has already had a strong impact in the Australian streaming landscape, capturing 20 per cent of all new video-on-demand (VoD) subscriptions in Q2 2025, according to data from Worldpanel by Numerator.
According to earnings results globally, WBD added 3.4 million subscribers for the second quarter to hit 125.7 million overall. Of that number, 3.2 million are from international markets.
The Australian debut – despite a surprise rebrand six weeks after launch from Max to HBO Max – offers viewers a premium home for HBO Originals, while widening appeal with the broader Warner Bros. Discovery library. The launch was bolstered by a carriage deal with Foxtel, the longtime home of HBO content.
HBO Max launches in the UK/Ireland, Germany and Italy in early 2026, where HBO content has been available to viewers through the Sky platform.
WBD CEO and President David Zaslav agreed the Australian launch paved the way for these European roll-outs.
“There are some markets where people have been watching The Last of Us, Euphoria, The White Lotus and House of the Dragon on a different platform,” he said. “Now it’s going to move to HBO Max. In that case, we have a hugely engaged population who will be spending a lot more time watching. We’re seeing that in Australia.”
The Last Of Us
JB Perrette, Warner Bros. Discovery’s President of Global Streaming and Games, who was in Australia for the launch of the platform, praised the Australian model, stating, “We love that double track of fishing in a pond that’s already stocked with our partners and at the same time going direct,” he said.
“Australia has been a great success story for us in these early months and has exceeded our expectations. This makes us even more bullish in what we expect to see at the beginning of next year in the European markets.”
Key strategy to launch
At the launch of HBO Max (then Max), President of WBD’s APAC region, James Gibbons, told Mediaweek, “Foxtel has been the home of HBO and much of our content over the years, and there’s a very present fan base there.
“If you already know where your audience is, why would you necessarily spend extra money to reach them in some other way?”
Sasha Mackie
In addition, the popular All Killer, No Filler. launch campaign was seen as a huge success. Sasha Mackie, senior director of marketing – streaming, studios & networks, Australia and New Zealand said the strategy was born out of research and clearly hit a nerve in execution.
“Currently, Australians are spending 42 minutes every day looking for something to watch,” she told Mediaweek. “With HBO Max, you don’t have to spend 42 minutes searching for the gold content because it’s all absolute gold.”
“It pokes fun at the current over-saturation of streaming products available. It’s got cheek and swagger and Aussie humour. It sounds so good.”