Warner Bros. Discovery in Canal+ tie-up for French Max launch

Warner Bros. Discovery is to launch its combined streaming service Max in France and Poland on June 11.

The company has struck a deal with French pay TV operator Canal+ to distribute the streamer, building on the pair’s existing partnership around linear channels and content.

Meanwhile, WBD has struck a new agreement with Amazon Prime to make Max available on the platform both in France and Spain.

Max will also become available in Belgium and the Netherlands on June 11, but customers in Belgium will initially receive ‘early access’ before a full launch on July 1.

The latest launch timings follow WBD’s announcement that it would launch Max in Iberia, the Nordics, and Central and Eastern Europe on May 21.

In France, Canal+ consumers who subscribe to Ciné Séries, Friends & Family, Intégrale and Rat+ packages will have access to Max as part of their subscription at no additional cost.

The agreement builds on the existing distribution partnership between the pair covering Canal+’s platforms in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Amazon Prime Video deal

In France and Spain, Prime Video will make Max available for purchase to its subscribers. The agreement builds on the current partnership that makes content from Warner Bros. Discovery available on Prime Video Channels in France. Current Warner Pass subscribers in France will get an upgraded experience with Max on Prime Video Channels.

In France, WBD also has partnerships in place with Free, Orange and SFR.

JB Perrette (Source: WBD)

The Max Basic with Ads plan will be available first in nine European countries: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Romania, Poland, France and Belgium before expanding to others. Available in all countries at launch are the ad-free Standard Plan and the Premium plan.

In the Netherlands, Ad Alliance will become the exclusive advertising sales partner for HBO Max. Ad Alliance will manage and provide advertising for the Basic with Ads plan in the Dutch market.

In Belgium, Be tv customers will gain access to HBO Max on the Basic with Ads plan at no additional cost. Telenet subscribers will get access to HBO Max soon after launch. Ads & Data has been selected as the advertising sales partner for HBO Max in Belgium.

JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming and games at Warner Bros. Discovery said: “Strong partnerships will turbo charge scale and build greater awareness for Max, helping us to reach new users faster, more effectively and more efficiently. Warner Bros. Discovery is still in the early days of our streaming growth. With almost half of the global addressable market still to come, we are excited and optimistic about the road ahead.”