HBO Max has launched in the UK – and these are the 10 shows I’m most excited to watch – UK Times

TV buffs, the wait is finally over. HBO Max has finally launched in the UK, and it couldn’t come at a better time. After waiting years to subscribe, millions of UK viewers can now stream recent Oscar-winning films One Battle After Another and Sinners this very moment, and the Harry Potter TV show will be coming to the platform this Christmas.

The streaming service’s UK launch has been six years in the making. The final country in Europe to get access to the streamer, HBO Max is home to multi-award-winning shows such as Succession, The White Lotus, The Last of Us and Game of Thrones, and it’s the only place where you can stream the high-stress medical drama The Pitt.

So how much does it cost, what shows and films will I be watching first, and what happens to those who already have a Sky package or a Now subscription? Here’s everything you need to know about HBO Max’s UK launch and how you can subscribe right now.

Read more: All the Harry Potter films are coming to this UK streaming platform

How much will HBO Max cost in the UK?

HBO Max has four entertainment plans. The cheapest Basic plan costs £4.99 and includes ads, but if you want to watch Warner Bros’ latest theatrical releases, you’ll need to subscribe to the Standard tier or higher. You can also get a subscription just for TNT Sports.

If you’re an Amazon Prime customer, you can also subscribe to HBO Max via Prime Channels – this is the most convenient way to subscribe if you already spend an inordinate amount of time on Amazon Prime Video. Instead of juggling multiple apps, you can watch HBO Max alongside your existing Prime content, with a single bill and the same interface, though you won’t be able to subscribe to the most expensive Premium tier.

What if you’re an existing Sky or Now customer?

If you already subscribe to Sky or Now, you won’t have just lost access to HBO shows.

Now’s £9.99 per month Entertainment membership has been upgraded to include HBO Max with ads at no extra cost. That means existing Now subscribers can access HBO titles within the Now app, without taking out a separate HBO Max subscription. It’s also available ad-free with Now boost and ultra boost packages.

Sky has also included the HBO Max ad-based tier as part of its Sky Ultimate TV packages on Sky Stream, Sky Glass and Sky Q at no extra cost. If you don’t already have Sky, the broadcaster has a new £24 per month Ultimate TV bundle, which combines Sky TV, Netflix, Disney+ and HBO Max into one package.

That said, if you’re anything like me and are only interested in HBO originals, don’t want a wider TV bundle, or just don’t want to be locked in to a long-term contract, subscribing directly to HBO Max for £4.99 per month will be the cheapest way to watch HBO shows in the UK.

Read more: The streaming wars just went nuclear with Sky’s new £24 “super-bundle”

5 HBO Max shows I’m watching first in the UK

HBO’s entire catalogue is available to stream on HBO Max, including HBO originals, Max originals and Warner Bros Television box sets, from Succession, The White Lotus, The Last of Us and Game of Thrones to Euphoria, Station Eleven, House of the Dragon, The Sopranos, The Wire, Veep and more. Friends has also returned to UK streaming after leaving Netflix at the end of last year. But what shows should you have on your radar? These are the five shows I’m hoping to watch first.

1. ‘The Pitt’

If there’s one show I’ve been waiting to watch, it’s The Pitt. It first aired more than a year ago in the US and has picked up award after award at the Golden Globes and Emmys. Set in a struggling Pittsburgh hospital, the medical drama unfolds over a single 15-hour shift, with each episode covering one hour. It follows a team of doctors working under constant pressure.

2. ‘Euphoria’ season 3

It’s been four years since we last saw Rue (and her messy, complicated life) on our screens, and the new season is finally on the way. The show catapulted the careers of its young cast, including Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi. With a five-year time jump, the third season follows the characters beyond high school as they navigate adulthood, with Rue dealing with the fallout of her past. HBO Max is the only place where you can watch the two previous seasons.

3. ‘Rooster’

Who says HBO can’t do comedy? Available to stream at launch, with episodes dropping weekly, Rooster stars Steve Carell as a successful author who ends up teaching at a college to be closer to his daughter, inevitably getting pulled into her personal life. It’s already been a massive hit in the US, becoming HBO’s most-watched comedy premiere in over a decade.

4. ‘Lanterns’

Coming to the platform in August, Lanterns is part of DC’s rebooted universe and follows Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they investigate a murder on Earth. DC’s boss James Gunn is pitching it as a gritty detective-style series in the vein of True Detective, rather than a run-of-the-mill superhero story.

5. ‘Harry Potter’ TV series

Probably the most highly anticipated show coming to HBO Max, the Harry Potter TV series will premiere this Christmas and a teaser trailer has just been released. The TV adaptation will reboot the books for a new generation, with each season set to cover one instalment. Die-hard Harry Potter fans will likely say it’s too soon for a reboot, but will inevitably watch it anyway.

5 films I’ll be streaming on HBO Max in the UK

If you’ve just seen One Battle After Another and Sinners sweep the Oscars, you’ll be pleased to hear you can now watch both films on HBO Max with a £5.99 Standard subscription. That’s because they’re both Warner Bros productions. You also have the entire Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings film series at your fingertips, alongside other Warner Bros franchises. These are the five films I’ll be streaming first.

1. ‘One Battle After Another’

One of the biggest Oscar winners this year, One Battle After Another took home six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the surrealist film follows a former revolutionary forced out of hiding to protect his daughter from a dangerous white supremacist officer.

2. ‘Sinners’

Sinners won four Oscars, including best actor for Michael B Jordan. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the southern gothic horror follows twin brothers who return to their hometown to open a bar, only to find themselves caught up in a growing supernatural threat that begins to take over the community. It’s one of the most talked-about films of the year.

3. ‘Marty Supreme’

Nominated for nine Oscars, Marty Supreme stars Timothée Chalamet as a rising table tennis prodigy as he navigates fame and the pressures that come with it. Directed by Josh Safdie, it’s set to land on HBO Max in the US on 24 April, and I’m hoping it’ll be released in the UK on the platform then too.

4. ‘The Bride’

Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Bride! is a gothic reimagining of the Frankenstein story, starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale. Set in 1930s Chicago, it follows the creation of a companion for Frankenstein’s monster, spiralling into darker and darker territory by the end. Currently in cinemas, it’s expected to be released on HBO Max in June.

5. ‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’

Horror reboots are having a moment. A new reboot of The Mummy is being released in the cinema on 17 April and it’s going to be a lot scarier than the original. Directed by Evil Dead Rise’s Lee Cronin, it follows a family whose young daughter mysteriously disappears in the desert, only to return years later. Except the happy reunion doesn’t turn out to be so happy. It’s expected to launch on HBO Max in the autumn.

Does HBO Max include TNT Sport in the UK?

It sure does, but it’s being handled separately from the entertainment plans. TNT Sports has been moved from Discovery+ to HBO Max. It’s where you access live coverage of the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Premiership Rugby, UFC, MotoGP and Grand Slam tennis.

TNT Sports is available either as a standalone subscription or as an add-on to HBO Max entertainment plans, rather than being bundled in by default. In other words, you don’t have to pay for sport if you only want TV and films. The standalone subscription costs £30.99 per month.

What took so long for HBO Max to come to the UK?

The UK was the last country in Europe to get HBO Max following the continent’s rollout, which started with the Nordics in 2021. But what took so long?

Sky has had a long-running exclusive deal with HBO for years. Signed in 2019, it gave Sky the exclusive first-run rights to HBO’s shows in the UK and Ireland via Sky Atlantic.

HBO content was therefore tied exclusively to Sky’s channels and apps, preventing HBO Max from launching in the UK while the agreement was active. If you wanted to watch HBO shows, your only option was to get a Sky package or subscribe to Now. The deal finally expired in April 2025, and viewers in the UK finally have access.

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