HBO Max to launch on Movistar+ ahead of Max debut

Warner Bros. Discovery has struck a deal with Telefónica’s Movistar+ to bring HBO Max to the telco’s pay TV customers in Spain.    

The deal means that the streamer will be available to customers on the Movistar+ Ficción Total package.

The addition of HBO Max to Movistar+’s offering comes ahead of WBD’s launch of enhanched streaming service Max on the platform on May 21.

HBO Maxis now available to all customers of the Ficción Total package, at no extra cost. Customers can watch the streamer via direct access through the main Movistar Plus+ navigation and the on-demand service.

HBO Max offers series, movies and specials from the  HBO, Warner Bros. and DC brands, as well as Max Originals, movies and kids and family content.

In addition to content already available on pay TV offering Movistar Plus+, HBO Max features complete series such as The Last of Us, Succession and House of Dragon.

Under the terms of the pair’s deal, Max will be available to Movistar+ customers on May 21, featuring the second season of the HBO Original series House of the Dragon, which premiers in Europe on June 17.

Wider European launch

The launch of Max on Movistar+ coincides with the streamer’s wider launch in multiple European territories.

The service will be available from May 21 in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Launches later in the year are planned for the Netherlands and Poland, with the service also set to be extended into France and Belgium, although dates have not been confirmed.

The US studio confirmed in October that it would be rolling Max out across Europe this year, following a roll-out in Lat Am earlier in 2024. Execs have previously explained its plan to tailor launches in Europe into three categories.

JB Perrette, CEO & president of global streaming & games, unveiled the latest news at Series Mania Forum in Lille and in a presentation to delegates said that the expansion would continue in South-East Asia at the end of the year.

Max will launch into further “new markets” in 2025, with countries such as the UK and Australia set to receive the service following the end of exclusive HBO output deals.