HBO Max, Warner Bros Discovery’s (WBD) SVoD service is set to expand its presence in the European market with launches in Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein on January 13th 2026 – with a UK and Ireland roll out soon to follow in March.

HBO Max will launch in the new markets with its Basic with Ads, Standard and Premium service plans -with a sports add-on available at an additional cost.

HBO Max is home to content from HBO, Warner Bros, the Harry Potter Universe, the DC Universe, Cartoon Network and Max Originals all in one place. HBO Max will also be home to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which kick off on February 6th. Subscribers can look foward HBO Max’s popular line-up of TV shows, featuring acclaimed dramas The Pitt, IT: Welcome to Derry, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Euphoria, Industry and French local original The Seduction. Additionally, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a prequel series set a century before the events of Game of Thrones, debuts on January 19th 2026. Library content will includes the likes of Friends, Rick and Morty and The Big Bang Theory.

Movie title will include Superman, The Batman and Dune, as well as the Harry Potter movies, and 2025 hits Weapons and The Conjuring: Last Rites coming soon.

JB Perrette, CEO and President of Global Streaming and Games at WBD, commented: “We are thrilled to bring HBO Max and the stories that stick with you to new countries across Europe this January. With our strongest line-up of US and local HBO series yet, blockbuster local and international movies, and the Olympic Winter Games, it is the perfect time to make HBO Max available directly to subscribers. It has never been easier to enjoy the most talked-about series, hit movies, unmissable live sports, and extraordinary real-life stories.”

Local HBO Originals

Additionally, a  slate of local HBO Original programming from Germany and Italy has been announced as part of the expansion. From Germany comes 4 Blocks Zero, a prequel of gangster drama 4 Blocks, and Banksters, a heist drama based on a true story – both produced by W&B Television. Also coming in 2026 is a documentary by Beetz Brothers about one of the most spectacular robberies in German history: the theft of the ‘Big Maple Leaf’ gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum. In addition, Jantje Friese and Baran Bo Odar from Dark Ways will produce a thriller series for HBO Max in which the dark tales of ‘Struwwelpeter’ become gruesome reality.

Italian local HBO Original productions include a drama that retraces the shocking 2011 murder of Melania Rea, played by Maria Esposito, exposing the fractures of a family, a community, and the Italian justice system under relentless media scrutiny. Premiering February 20 is Marco Bellocchio’s Portobello, starring Fabrizio Gifuni. An epic true story of media frenzy, justice gone astray, and one man’s fight to reclaim his dignity: Italian TV host Enzo Tortora who was wrongfully accused of mafia ties in the 1980s. Also on the horizon is an engaging slate of docuseries. Among them, Gina Lollobrigida: Diva Contesa, a compelling account of the battle over the legacy of a cinema icon and an intense family melodrama. And Saman, the heartbreaking struggle for freedom of a young Pakistani woman murdered by her own family clan for refusing an arranged marriage.

In Germany, HBO Max will be home to some of the leading German and international cinema with a wide range of acclaimed films made available through output agreements with Leonine Studios and Constantin Film as well as German Warner Bros. Pictures productions like Wunderschöner. In addition, there will be a curated selection of film premieres from DCM and other local partners. In addition, there will be a curated selection of film premieres from DCM and other local partners. At launch, HBO Max in Italy will exclusively feature Nonostante, the new film directed by and starring Valerio Mastandrea, chosen to open the Orizzonti section of the 81st Venice Film Festival, and from February Squali, Daniele Barbiero’s powerful film debut starring Lorenzo Zurzolo and James Franco, presented at the 20th Rome Film Festival.

WBD is currently exploring sale options, with Netflix, Paramount and Comcast all showing an interest.

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Tags: HBO, HBO Max, WBD