Warner Bros. Discovery has officially launched MAX, a revamped streaming service that combines content from HBO Max and sister streamer Discovery+.

While the latter focused primarily on factual content, HBO largely specialized in presenting the award-winning dramas, comedies and feature films that made HBO such a respected name in television.

This new service, called MAX, offers a cheaper option for viewers and will be available for download in the US starting in May 2023.

Read more: All announcements from HBO Max

Launching with a shiny new logo and a sleek, simple name, MAX also brought with it a number of exciting new shows set to hit the platform in the coming months and years. From a sequel version of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter anthology for the small screen to the return of Colin Farrell’s Gotham crime boss The Penguin, it looks like this new, merged streaming service will be at the top of every app-loving pop culture fan’s download list.

So far, so good – but will it even be available to us in the UK and will we have HBO Max in the meantime?

Which shows are coming to Max?

To put it simply, MAX has set the stage for a pretty extensive slate of upcoming shows and projects.

Perhaps what attracted the most attention, however, was the planned reboot of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise as a television series, complete with a new cast and an entire series dedicated to each year of Potter’s time at Hogwarts.

Other big announcements included a new Big Bang Theory spin-off and another Game of Thrones prequel series called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. Rounding out the list are shows like the new animated prequel series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai and the Batman spin-off The Penguin.

Can I get Max in the UK?

Max is currently unavailable to viewers in the UK, although it is available in several countries in mainland Europe, including France, Spain, Portugal and Croatia.

While there are plenty of rumors about when the service might be available to viewers in the UK – some sources suggest we may have to wait until at least 2025 – no official launch date has yet been announced across the pond.

However, much of the content shown on Max can also be viewed on other streaming services available to UK audiences, such as Sky and the streaming app NOW.

The reason for this is the exclusive relationship between Sky and HBO, which usually results in HBO shows being broadcast on Sky’s channels – usually Sky Atlantic – before they can be found anywhere else.

One possible solution could be that the platform’s content continues to find a home at Sky. In August 2024, Sky CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz confirmed that Max would be available to current Sky users in a similar way to Discovery+.

“There are different scenarios as to how the partnership will play out,” she explained, “but there is no scenario where Max is not available to Sky customers.”

Her comments came two years after Jamie Morris, Sky’s UK and Ireland programming director, said the relationship was expected to continue “in one way or another” into the future, regardless of Discovery’s plans to launch Max.

“Our relationship with HBO continues to grow stronger,” he said. “They’ve had a great year – HBO programming is great and they’re our creative co-production partners.”