HBO Max will attempt to convince viewers to sign up for another subscription, doing battle with the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV.
It arrives with the promise of some heavyweight titles. They will include Lanterns this summer and the Harry Potter TV show next year.
The third season of Euphoria is due to be released in April, and the third season of House of the Dragon is expected to be available later this year.
Existing shows in the catalogue will include Succession, The Sopranos and Game of Thrones.
HBO shows have previously been available in the UK through Sky and its streaming service Now. Now will keep programmes that began before the end of 2025, but new original HBO-made programmes will be exclusive to HBO Max.
An agreement between the two companies means a membership bundle including both Now and HBO Max will be available, which all existing Now Entertainment subscribers will automatically be moved to.
Tom Harrington, head of television at Enders Analysis, said there was “no way that Max could have successfully launched here without a deal with Sky”, and that the agreement means HBO Max will be in more than 10 million households from launch.
“All the big continuing shows (House of the Dragon, Last of Us, White Lotus) will continue to be on Sky, so Max would be relying completely on new shows, especially Harry Potter, to grow a business from scratch,” he said.
“On the content side, it’s worth noting that HBO’s hit rate is quite phenomenal – they don’t release a lot but always have a few current shows with considerable cultural cut-through.”
HBO Max will also offer films including Superman, Oscar hopefuls One Battle After Another and Sinners, and A Minecraft Movie; and will be the streaming home of TNT Sports, which has rights including the Premier League, FA Cup, Prem rugby, UFC and Grand Slam tennis.
