Sky (Sky Broadband etc.) has this afternoon announced that they’ve signed an expanded partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery in the UK and Ireland, which means that existing Sky TV and NOW TV customers (e.g. Sky Glass, Sky Stream) will gain free (non-exclusive) access to the new ad-supported streaming service (app), Max (HBO Max), when it launches in 2026.
The deal means that Sky’s existing agreement has been extended until “early 2026“, with the new Max service set to become available “at no extra cost” after that. Max will exclusively feature new HBO Original and Max Original shows and more when it launches in the UK and Ireland.
Existing franchises and their future series will continue on the Sky Atlantic channel for Sky customers, with pay 1 movies to be shown on Sky Cinema. For example, Sky customers will find shows such as House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us, and any new series aired “before the end of 2025“, on Sky Atlantic and through Sky’s On Demand service.
However, newer series, such as the forthcoming exclusive series of Harry Potter, will only be available via Max.
Dana Strong, Sky Group CEO, said:
“This deal builds on our remarkable achievements this year. We have secured most major sports rights through to the end of the decade, extended our content partnerships, and progressed our transition from satellite to IP, with 9 out 10 new customers choosing Sky Glass or Sky Stream. This partnership solidifies Sky as the ultimate TV destination and the preferred partner of choice for streamers, rights holders and content creators alike.”
Max first launched (as HBO Max) in the USA during May 2020, but it’s slowly spreading out to more countries and today’s deal tells us when we can expect to see it in the UK. On the other hand, if there’s one thing the market doesn’t need right now, it’s yet more confusion around the ever-increasing level of content fragmentation between multiple different streaming services.