HBO Max Expands in Europe with New Prime Video Partnership for Germany, Italy, and Austria
HBO Max has officially launched in eight additional countries, including Germany, Austria, and Italy, as part of a strategic distribution agreement with Prime Video. This expansion marks a significant milestone for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), bringing the platform’s total coverage to over 100 territories worldwide.
The rollouts took place this morning in several European nations, including Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Israel, and Greece. Following these launches, HBO Max is slated to debut in the UK and Ireland at the end of March, further enhancing its presence across Europe.
WBD is adopting a bundling strategy for its local launches, partnering with various streaming services. In Germany, Austria, and Italy, HBO Max will be available as an add-on through Prime Video, due to a "multi-year" deal. Similar distribution agreements have previously been established in France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Belgium.
In Germany and Austria, HBO Max will be bundled with RTL+, allowing subscribers to access both services for a single price. Additionally, German users of Waipu.TV will see HBO Max integrated into their platform. In Switzerland, customers can enjoy the service through partnerships with Sunrise and Swisscom. In Israel, both Hot and Yes will offer HBO Max, while in Greece, the service is being launched as a standalone offering after nearly a year of availability through Vodafone.
New subscribers in these countries will soon have access to a range of highly anticipated content. This includes Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar-nominated film, One Battle After Another, and the upcoming Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, set to premiere on January 19. Italian audiences will also be introduced to the series Industry, while The Pitt makes its debut in Germany ahead of its second season. Furthermore, the hockey drama Heated Rivalry will be launched exclusively in each market.
The platform will also feature coverage of the Olympic Winter Games, which will occur in Milan Cortina from February 6 to 22, with a special sports add-on providing access to Eurosport.
From a content creation perspective, HBO has plans to introduce several local originals, beginning with Portobello, a film directed by Marco Bellocchio that stars Fabrizio Gifuni and tells the story of Italian television presenter Enzo Tortora. This film will launch in Italy on February 20. Upcoming titles include the German heist drama Banksters, slated for a global release next month, and the Italian drama Melania Rea – Beyond the Case, which will follow later this year. The prequel to the German gangster series, 4 Blocks Zero, is also on the horizon, along with local films such as Wunderschöner and Italian productions Nonostante and Squali.
JB Perrette, CEO and President of Global Streaming & Games at WBD, expressed enthusiasm about the expansion, stating, “It is exciting to kick off the New Year by expanding into some of the biggest economies in the world, as we continue to deliver HBO Max to new viewers. Fans in these markets have a lot to look forward to, with some incredible titles and events coming to the platform. Next up is the launch of HBO Max in the UK and Ireland in late March, which will complete HBO Max’s rollout across Europe.”
HBO Max originally launched in the United States in 2020. As of the third quarter of 2025, WBD reported a total of 128 million global streaming subscribers. However, the service’s outlook remains uncertain following news that Netflix has secured an $87 billion deal for WBD.
