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Ian YoungsCulture reporter
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Friends has been available to watch on Netflix in the UK since 2018
HBO Max will join the UK's streaming wars with a little help from its Friends - and Euphoria and Harry Potter - after the service confirmed its launch plans.
A launch date of 26 March has been announced for HBO Max in the UK and Ireland, with monthly plans ranging from £4.99 up to £30.99 including TNT Sports.
The service will try to persuade viewers to sign up by offering shows like Friends - which has been in streaming limbo since leaving Netflix in the UK at the end of 2025 - as well as DC shows like the forthcoming Lanterns, based on the Green Lantern characters.
It will also be the home of the forthcoming Harry Potter TV series, and will allow UK viewers to finally watch hit US medical drama The Pitt.
The Pitt won best drama at the Emmys and Golden Globes, and will become available almost 15 months after it launched in the US.
Warner Bros Discovery
Noah Wyle won an Emmy last year for best drama actor for The Pitt
HBO Max will attempt to convince viewers to sign up for another subscription, doing battle with the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV.
It arrives with the promise of some heavyweight titles. They will include Lanterns this summer and the Harry Potter TV show next year.
The third season of Euphoria is due to be released in April, and the third season of House of the Dragon is expected to be available later this year.
Existing shows in the catalogue will include Succession, The Sopranos and Game of Thrones.
HBO shows have previously been available in the UK through Sky and its streaming service Now. Sky customers will keep programmes that began before the end of 2025, but new original HBO-made programmes will be exclusive to HBO Max.
An agreement between the two companies means a membership bundle including both Now and HBO Max will be available, which all existing Now Entertainment subscribers will automatically be moved to.
Tom Harrington, head of television at Enders Analysis, said there was "no way that Max could have successfully launched here without a deal with Sky", and that the agreement means HBO Max will be in more than 10 million households from launch.
"All the big continuing shows (House of the Dragon, Last of Us, White Lotus) will continue to be on Sky, so Max would be relying completely on new shows, especially Harry Potter, to grow a business from scratch," he said.
"On the content side, it's worth noting that HBO's hit rate is quite phenomenal - they don't release a lot but always have a few current shows with considerable cultural cut-through."
HBO Max will also offer films including Superman, Oscar hopefuls One Battle After Another and Sinners, and A Minecraft Movie; and will be the streaming home of TNT Sports, which has rights including the Premier League, FA Cup, Prem rugby, UFC and Grand Slam tennis.
HBO Max's long-term future is uncertain, though. Its launch comes as Netflix pursues a deal for the streaming and film divisions of HBO Max's parent company Warner Bros Discovery (WBD).
A successful purchase would raise the prospect of HBO Max and Netflix combining as a single streaming service.
"Of course, the questions around WBD's future ownership makes the future of the service anyone's guess," Harrington said.
Analyst Mike Proulx of Forrester Research said: "If Netflix ends up making it through regulatory hurdles, both in the US and the UK, then it obviously will own HBO Max, and it is unclear as to the fate of that streaming service.
"Will it remain a separate, standalone streaming service that is operated by Netflix, similar to what Disney does with Hulu? Or will Netflix combine the IP of HBO Max into one mega Netflix streaming service? We don't yet know."
