INDUSTRY / MARKET Italy / Germany / Austria / Switzerland / Luxembourg / Liechtenstein / USA
HBO Max to launch in Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein on 13 January
- With this move, the US streaming giant's rollout across Europe is close to complete, with only the UK and Ireland yet to join the platform

HBO Max has confirmed that its next wave of European expansion will take place on 13 January, when the service officially launches in Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. With this step, the streamer’s rollout across the continent is close to complete, with only the UK and Ireland yet to join the platform.
Audiences in these six territories will – for the first time – be able to access the full suite of content from HBO, Warner Bros Pictures, Warner Bros Television, the DC Universe and the Max Originals slate in a single place. Flagship series include The Pitt, It: Welcome to Derry, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, The White Lotus and Euphoria, while the film line-up features major studio titles such as Superman, The Batman, Dune [+see also:
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film profile] and the entire Harry Potter franchise. The announcement comes ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which HBO Max will broadcast live from 6-22 February.
The expansion is accompanied by a sizeable investment in local originals. In Germany, W&B Television is developing 4 Blocks Zero, a prequel to its acclaimed gangster drama 4 Blocks, as well as Banksters, centred on a real-life heist. Additional German titles on the way include a Beetz Brothers documentary about the theft of the “Big Maple Leaf” coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum and Struwwelpeter, a thriller series courtesy of Dark creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar.
In Italy, HBO Max will unveil Melania, a drama reconstructing the 2011 murder of Melania Rea, led by Maria Esposito. Marco Bellocchio’s Venice-premiered series Portobello - The Fall of Enzo Tortora [+see also:
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series profile] will bow on 20 February. The upcoming Italian non-fiction line-up features Gina Lollobrigida: Diva Contesa, exploring the battle over the star’s legacy, and Saman, chronicling the case of a young Pakistani woman murdered by her family after refusing an arranged marriage.
German subscribers will also gain access to a broad catalogue of films secured through output deals with Leonine Studios, Constantin Film and the German arm of Warner Bros Pictures, alongside a curated selection from DCM. Italian audiences, meanwhile, will see the domestic premieres of Valerio Mastandrea’s new feature, Feeling Better [+see also:
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Commenting on the rollout, JB Perrette, CEO and president of Global Streaming and Games at Warner Bros Discovery, said: “We are thrilled to bring HBO Max and the stories that stick with you to new countries across Europe this January. With our strongest line-up of US and local HBO series yet, blockbuster local and international movies, and the Olympic Winter Games, it is the perfect time to make HBO Max available directly to subscribers. It has never been easier to enjoy the most talked-about series, hit movies, unmissable live sports and extraordinary real-life stories.”
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