The UK is getting a new major streaming player, as HBO Max finally announces its launch date and pricing for the UK and Ireland.
HBO Max will begin streaming in the UK on Thursday, March 26. The platform will launch equipped with its slate of originals including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, The Pitt, Heated Rivalry, and Euphoria, which UK viewers have previously been watching through Sky and NOW via licensing partnerships.
HBO Max is launching in the UK and Ireland with content partners Sky and Prime Video, and will also be available to watch on those platforms, as well as as a standalone.
Three platforms currently dominate the UK’s streaming arena. In its 2025 report, Ofcom found that two-thirds of UK households subscribe to at least one of Netflix, Prime Video, or Disney+, with Netflix the most subscribed-to service (six in 10 households have it), and Netflix is currently set to acquire Warner Bros, including HBO, which could be interesting for rivals.
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HBO Max will have four different plans available in the UK and Ireland – two with ads, two without:
- Basic with ads (£4.99/month) Stream on two devices in Full HD (except movies that have an exclusive “first stream” on HBO Max after showing in cinemas).
- Standard with ads (£5.99/month) Stream on two devices in Full HD (including movies that have an exclusive “first stream” on HBO Max after showing in cinemas). Plus, 30 downloads for offline viewing.
- Standard (£9.99/month) Everything you get with the “Standard with ads” subscription but, you guessed it, without ads.
- Premium (£14.99/month) Stream on four devices in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos (where available) and 100 downloads. No ads.
For comparison, Netflix’s ad-supported standard tier is £5.99 per month, while its Standard tier is £12.99 per month and Premium is £18.99 per month. Disney+ (where UK viewers can watch Hulu content), sits at £5.99 / £9.99 / £14.99 per month for the same tiers; Paramount+ is £4.99 / £7.99 / £10.99. Prime Video costs £5.99 for ad-supported streaming and £8.99 for ad-free standard, while Apple TV is £9.99.
HBO Max in the UK will also allow people with a (Warner-owned) TNT Sports streaming subscription (£30.99 per month extra) to watch within the HBO Max app, which means Premier League, Emirates FA Cup, Adobe Women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, etc.
