WarnerMedia’s streaming service HBO Max has unveiled the subscription prices and other details for Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain and other European countries in which it will launch on Oct. 26 and next year.
The company said that it would also add Turkey, the Netherlands and five other additional European markets to its launch schedule for 2022.
And Priya Dogra, president, WarnerMedia International, EMEA and Asia (excluding China), unveiled that “for the time in the Nordics at launch, and next year in Spain, Portugal and Central Eastern Europe, HBO Max will make Warner Bros. films available on the platform just 45 days after their theatrical release.” The streamer said this would, among others, also apply to the Netherlands and Greece. Added Dogra: “This is a game-changer for fans.”
In terms of subscription prices, HBO Max said the streamer would be “attractively priced with a new yearly subscription introduced that offers 12-months access for the price of eight, representing a saving of more than 30 percent and bringing the monthly cost down to approximately €5.99 ($6.95) in Spain and Finland.” In addition, the current monthly subscription price will be reduced for customers in the Nordics – for example, going from 109 kronas to 89 kronas a month in Sweden – and “an already appealing monthly price will be maintained for customers in Spain” at €8.99 ($10.43) per month, Sulebakk said. The new annual subscription price for Spain will be €69.99 ($81.20). “On top of this, special introductory offers for new customers will be announced before the service goes live on Oct. 26.”
The news was unveiled during a virtual European launch event for HBO Max on Tuesday. Speakers included HBO Max executive vp and general manager Andy Forssell, Christina Sulebakk, general manager of HBO Max Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Johannes Larcher, head of HBO Max International. The event also provided a sneak peek at some upcoming series.
Currently, HBO Max is available in the U.S. and 39 territories across Latin America and the Caribbean. Next year, 14 additional European markets, including Portugal and territories in Central and Eastern Europe, such as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, will get the streamer. An expansion into such major European markets as the U.K., Germany, Italy and France may be a few years off though as HBO has a licensing agreement with Comcast-owned European pay TV giant Sky, which expires in 2025.
Consumers in the Nordics and Spain will be the first Europeans to get access to U.S. and international HBO Max originals, as well as films and shows from the Warner Bros., HBO, DC and Cartoon Network brands. This mix of U.S. and local productions will add up to an “all-new, supercharged streaming platform across the region” with “enormous potential,” Sulebakk had said in September.
Added Larcher back then: “WarnerMedia movies and series like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and The Big Bang Theory are passionately consumed by fans all across Europe, and HBO Max has been created to provide them with the most intuitive and convenient viewing experience to watch these and a diverse range of other amazing titles.”
As of June, HBO and HBO Max had 67.5 million subscribers worldwide.