WarnerMedia’s long-awaited streaming service HBO Max will officially launch in 13 Central and East European countries on March 8.
A ‘second wave’ of European debuts that will also include Portugal and the Netherlands, it will mark the start of what promises to be an exciting year for such services across the region.
Indeed, we now know that Disney+ will launch in an additional 42 territories, mostly in EMEA, this summer. They include 17 in CEE, among them Albania, the Baltics and all countries that made up the former Yugoslavia.
Furthermore, as we learned only earlier this week, Comcast and ViacomCBS have just obtained regulatory approval for their new streaming service SkyShowtime. As a result, it will launch in over 20 European markets, including 14 in CEE, later this year.
HBO Max will replace HBO Go in CEE and in a promotion period until the end of March be offered at a 33% discount for the entire period it is received by customers. In Poland, for instance, this will mean paying a monthly fee of PLN19.99 rather than PLN29.99, and in the Czech Republic CZK132 rather than CZK199.
A new annual subscription will also be introduced at the end of March, and this is likely to vary from country to country. Local reports indicate that it will amount to nearly €52 in Poland and €39.90 in Romania.
WarnerMedia, which is owned by AT&T and soon to merge with Discovery, sees HBO Max as a major driver for its business. Along with HBO, the service ended 2021 with a total of 73.8 million subscribers, HBO Max gaining 8 million outside the US since its international debut in Latin America and the Caribbean in June.
Although HBO Max is preparing for more launches across the globe, including lucrative markets in Asia, its appearance in CEE will be an important milestone for the service.
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