the coronavirus outbreak, when millions of Americans are under a stay at home order, helping to boost streaming numbers. Despite the buildup, however, HBO Max will not be available to subscribers outside of the US for some time.
HBO Max won't hit many international screens until 2021, but WarnerMedia, owner of HBO, has renewed its programming deals with two media giants outside of the United States, providing insight into when these markets will have access to the service. Last year, WarnerMedia renewed its programming deal with Sky, the UK company, for five more years. HBO and Sky partnered to bring audiences the smash-hit Chernobyl. WarnerMedia also signed a deal with Bell Media, the company that owns the Canadian streaming service Crave, to bring HBO Max to Canadian audiences in 2020 (HBO content is currently available on Crave for an additional fee). WarnerMedia has a few additional deals in outside markets, such as Latin America, and likely the company will be prioritizing some markets over others.
Each of WarnerMedia's deals comes with complications, namely in the level of content HBO Max will provide to non-US customers. Thanks to deals like these, some international audiences won't see HBO Max content for a few years, but some might not see any at all.
HBO Max & Crave's Programming Deal
Canadian customers of Bell Media's Crave will be able to access HBO Max content; however, it will still be difficult for Canadians to get HBO Max. Canadians will not have access to the new streaming platform; rather, the HBO Max original content will be made available through the paid HBO add-on. Currently, subscribers pay $9.99/month for Crave with the option to add HBO + Movies for an additional $9.99/month. That overall price is far more expensive than the average monthly cost of any basic streaming platform subscription currently on the market. Even for that hefty price, Canadians won't even have full access to HBO Max's entire library of content. Crave customers will receive the entirety of HBO and HBO Max's content exclusively produced by HBO or HBO Max itself. Any content produced by outside partners, like Friends, will not be included in this deal.
HBO Max & Sky's Programming Deal
Sky is a British telecommunications company owned by Comcast. Just like Comcast's presence in the US, Sky provides millions of UK residents with cable and internet. So UK audiences won't be seeing HBO Max anytime in the future.
The US market has been WarnerMedia’s top priority for the first rollout of HBO Max’s launch. After that, they are targeting markets in Latin America and Europe that currently offer HBO as a standalone network. Thanks to the newly renewed deal, that doesn’t include the UK. Within that region, Sky has exclusive rights to HBO content. That deal will stand in place through 2024. As HBO’s partnership with Sky has brought the network multiple successful shows, that partnership is unlikely to end anytime soon. That means it will continue to lessen the chance that Sky subscribers in the UK will ever get the opportunity to access HBO Max directly. It’s wise to bet on a partnership that’s already been deemed lucrative, but that might end up impacting the success of HBO Max in the long run.
HBO Max's Release In Other International Markets
While HBO Max might never see the light of day in the UK, other Sky customers will get access to the streaming platform when it launches. HBO operates independently outside of Sky in European countries like Scandinavia, Spain and Portugal. If some Sky customers are able to access HBO Max while UK customers are left in the cold, it might leave open avenues for those subscribers in the UK to access the content in less-than legal ways.
Outside of the US, WarnerMedia has their eye on Latin America for their next big launch. WarnerMedia now has ownership of HBO, HBO Max, Cinemax and HBO Go in the vast majority of Spanish-speaking Latin American and Caribbean countries. This allows WarnerMedia to bring their own localized version of HBO Max to this region, but they won't be getting it until 2021.
The Future of HBO Max
HBO itself is already $14.99/month for American subscribers. Some s who subscribe to HBO through AT&T will get HBO Max for free — but not all AT&T customers will get it. Only those paying for the highest level of internet or cable through AT&T, or one of the services it owns, will get the streaming service included. Those paying for the lower level tiers of internet or cable get the service free for three months. However, one internet and cable provider is stepping up and providing the service completely free of cost to its s: Charter Communications.
In some ways, the launch of HBO Max is poor timing, as WarnerMedia is going forward with a launch of their subscription-based service in the midst of a pandemic that's forcing many Americans to cut unnecessary costs. With Canadians paying an even higher price for the content, WarnerMedia can probably count them out as well. US and Canadian audiences will likely spend more time with the streaming platforms they already pay for.
If subscriber projections in the US fall below targets, WarnerMedia won't really have many options to turn to boost those numbers. HBO Max's launch content is a disappointment, so should that lead to the streaming platform tanking in the US, 2021 might too late to save it. If HBO Max had less complicated international programming deals and launch dates, this problem could’ve easily been solved.