Warner Bros. Discovery has set expected launch dates for its Max streaming service in Australia, New Zealand and several key Asian markets.
On the day Max launched in Japan via local partner U-Next, James Gibbons, president of APAC for Warner Bros. Discovery, revealed that the company is looking to launch Max directly to consumers in Australia and New Zealand in the first half of 2025. Max will debut in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan by the end of 2024, with Max replacing the current HBO Go services.
As for specific dates for each territory, Gibbons was a bit vague, but added that Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan will see Max launches in the “coming weeks and months.” Gibbons made the announcement at the APOS Media, Telecommunications, and Entertainment Industry Conference in Bali, Indonesia.
With Max officially available in Japan via U-Next, Gibbons elaborated further on the deal. He said Max will live within the U-Next platform at no additional cost to consumers. The deal will also be a “two-way street” with U-Next taking Max’s content, but also Max taking some of U-Next’s Japanese content, including anime, for their global platform.
Regarding local production in Japan in light of the U-Next deal, Gibbons said that WBD will continue to invest in the country and will look to increase spending on anime production after finding success with anime adaptations of some of the company's DC properties, including the recent Isekai Suicide Squad series. Gibbons added that under the studio’s model, the Japanese content would be made with Max in mind as a streaming platform, but would also be available to other players.
Despite launching in the U.S. in May 2020, Max, formerly HBO Max, has had a slow global direct-to-consumer rollout due to local licensing and HBO content partnerships, particularly in Asia and Australia. Gibbons added that WBD has taken a “flexible and diverse” strategy with its launch plans for Max. “Our goal is to reach the fan base and find a way to market to the fan base,” Gibbons said, noting that where it makes sense to work with a local partner, as is the case in Japan, the company will continue to do so.