Streamer details slates of original scripted and factual series ahead of European expansion
Warner Bros Discovery has unveiled the launch date and line-ups for HBO Max in Germany and Italy.
The streamer will be rolled out in both countries – as well as in Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein – on 13 January next year.
Three monthly plans will be available, including an ad-supported tier, although no details have been given on price.
WBD launched HBO Max in the US in 2020 and has been expanding the streamer across Europe for the past two years. It now counts almost 130 million subscribers in more than 100 markets in which it is available worldwide.
A UK roll-out is in the works for 2026 – having been partly delayed by Sky’s long-standing output deal for HBO content that is coming to an end at the end of the year – but a launch date has yet to be confirmed.
Local originals
The expansion into Italy and Germany will be accompanied by a raft of local programming, with shows such as German drama 4 Blocks Zero, a prequel to the hit gangster drama 4 Blocks.
It is being produced by W&B Television, which is also behind Banksters, a heist drama based on a true story, while Jantje Friese and Baran Bo Odar from Dark Ways are producing a thriller series in which the dark tales of ‘Struwwelpeter’ become gruesome reality.
A documentary from Beetz Brothers about the theft of the ‘Big Maple Leaf’ gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum is also in the works.
In Italy, the shocking 2011 murder of Melania Rea is retraced in an as-yet untitled drama starring Maria Esposito, while Marco Bellocchio’s Portobello is set to debut 20 February.
The drama stars Fabrizio Gifuni as Italian TV host Enzo Tortora who was wrongfully accused of mafia ties in the 1980s.
A raft of docuseries are on the factual slate including Gina Lollobrigida: Diva Contesa, which explores the legacy of the cinema icon, and Saman, which explores a young Pakistani woman who was murdered by her own family clan for refusing an arranged marriage.
Local deals have also been struck via output agreements with Leonine Studios and Constantin Film. Warner Bros. Pictures productions such as Wunderschöner will also feature, while in Italy subscribers can watch Nonostante, the new film directed by and starring Valerio Mastandrea.
The series will sit alongside a raft of WBD’s US titles, ranging from breakout hit The Pitt and IT: Welcome to Derry, to House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Euphoria, Industry and French local original The Seduction.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the drama set a century before the events of Game of Thrones, will debut 19 January, alongside movies such as Superman, The Batman and Dune.
Sports content will also be available including Olympic Winter Games 2026 coverage from Italy. Eurosport can also be added for an additional fee, providing access to the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, the Tour de France and UFC coverage.
JB Perrette, chief exec and president of global streaming and games at WBD, said: “With our strongest line-up of U.S. 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.”
The expansion comes weeks after WBD’s president and managing director of WBD in Western Europe and Africa, Clement Schwebig, revealed he would be leaving to join RTL Group.
WBD, which remains deep in takeover talks, has expanded the roles of Christina Sulebakk, Alessandro Araimo and Jamie Cooke ahead of the imminent departure.
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