Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) will launch its Max streaming service in the Irish market in early 2026.
As part of the roll-out plans, the ad-supported Max app will become part of Sky Ireland’s offering to customers on a non-exclusive basis at no extra cost. The Max app will also be bundled with Sky’s Now entertainment memberships in the UK and Ireland.
This succeeds the existing arrangement in which HBO series – which viewers in other countries access through Max – are shown on the pay-TV platform’s Sky Atlantic channel.
Sky said its customers would continue to find HBO shows such as House of the Dragon, The White Lotus and The Last of Us, as well as any new series aired before the end of 2025, on Sky Atlantic and through Sky’s on-demand service.
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The move is part of a broader, multiyear extension to the partnership between WBD and Sky’s US parent company Comcast, the financial terms of which were not disclosed. It effectively allows WBD to expand the availability of Max into markets where Sky operates without severing the distribution relationship between HBO and Sky.
“Our new agreement will continue Warner Bros Discovery’s long-standing collaboration with Sky and deepen our relationship across distribution and now the bundling of Max,” said WBD UK & Ireland president and managing director Andrew Georgiou.
He said this would make Max accessible at launch to millions of Sky and Now subscribers, while separately becoming available to other households through direct-to-consumer sales and other partnerships.
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“Arriving in early 2026, the marketwide launch of Max in the UK & Ireland is a significant step in our global roll-out and will be the place where audiences find incredible new shows, including the future Harry Potter series from HBO.”
The deal with Comcast also sees Turner Kids content on channels including Cartoon Network, Cartoonito, and Boomerang remaining part of Sky and Now’s offering. Sky and WBD already have a long-term carriage agreement in place for a number of WBD’s linear television channels.
“This new partnership provides an expanded portfolio of content for our customers who enjoy Warner Bros Discovery’s popular storytelling. Sky customers will be able to enjoy the Max app, WBD movies and the TV shows currently on Sky channels, and a seamless integration of the Max service into our Now streaming experience,” said Dana Strong, group chief executive of Sky.
“The combination of content from our partners, alongside our slate of Sky Originals, and Sky’s leading aggregation of the UK and Ireland’s best content apps gives us an unrivalled entertainment proposition and an exceptional line-up of the world’s best shows.”
The Max service was originally called HBO Max when it was launched by its previous owner, AT&T’s WarnerMedia, in 2020. Following the merger of WarnerMedia with Discovery to form Warner Bros Discovery, it was renamed Max.
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