HBO Max launch date in UK and Ireland confirmed – plus every show fans can binge instantly

TV fans in the UK and Ireland have been waiting for this day for a long time (Picture: HBO Max) The time has finally come – HBO Max is finally launching in the UK and Ireland next month. It’s been a long time coming. The streaming platform made its debut six years ago in the US, and has since expanded to more than 100 countries in the world. Today, Metro attended a press briefing about the launch of HBO Max on home soil, and the fact that it’s taken such a long time for the UK and Ireland to catch up was addressed. HBO has an extraordinarily busy year ahead. The Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been earning rave reviews, and the third season of House of the Dragon will be landing this summer. In April, Euphoria will be back for its highly-anticipated third season, and the launch of HBO Max will coincide with The Pitt finally being made available to watch for all of us who previously didn’t have access. Here’s everything you need to know. When will HBO Max be available in the UK? Finally, the news many film and TV fans have been waiting for – the launch date for HBO Max in the UK and Ireland has been confirmed. The entire first season of The Pitt will be available to watch straight away (Picture: Warrick Page/HBO Max via AP) Today, it was announced that the streaming platform will be coming on Thursday March 26. While a six-week wait might still feel like a pain, it’ll go by in the blink of an eye! In the past, if a TV show was made by HBO, it was understood that it would be available to watch on Sky in the UK. So what does that mean for HBO Max? Subscribers will be able to access content on hbomax.com, as well as via partners including Sky and Amazon Prime Video. However, being a Sky customer doesn’t mean that you’ll automatically be able to access all of the content available on HBO Max. House of the Dragon will be returning with its third season this summer (Picture: HBO) For example, for shows like Euphoria or House of the Dragon that previously aired on Sky in the UK, the broadcaster will still air the new seasons. But, if fans want to binge the previous seasons to catch up before the new ones are out, they’ll only be able to access those on HBO Max. Metro attended a press briefing for the launch of HBO Max in the UK and Ireland, during which JB Perrette and Andrew Georgiou addressed the streaming platform being ‘late to the market’, in comparison to their competitors. Andrew, who’s the president and managing director for Warner Bros. Discovery UK & Ireland, explained that by launching HBO Max at a later stage, this means that they can ‘ensure that we come to market on day one with a variety of prices and packages to be accessible to the broader set of consumers’. He added that launching HBO Max in the UK and Ireland at this stage also means that they can work with partners ‘who can immediately help us get the scale and the product into the hands of even more fans’. Sinners made history with the most Oscar nominations ever this year (Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures via AP) However, JB, the CEO and President of Global Streaming and Games at Warner Bros. Discovery, stressed that HBO Max is not intended to be a go-to destination for everyone. ‘We are something great for adults and families, not something for everyone,’ JB said. ‘More is not better. Better is better, and our content slate over the next 24 months is the strongest and most targeted for our audiences in our history.’ He continued: ‘Our relentless focus is on being the best service at delivering what consumers want most – not more content, but great stories, the stories that people can’t wait to savour and enthusiastically talk about. ‘That’s part of the reason why we brought back the HBO name as a foundational piece – nothing says quality like those three letters, and that’s what makes us distinct.’ How much will it cost to subscribe to HBO Max? When HBO Max launches in the UK and Ireland on March 26, there’ll be four different tiers that subscribers can choose from. A breakdown of HBO Max's price tiers Basic with ads How much is it? £4.99 a month. What does it include? This allows streaming on two devices in full HD. Are there any exclusions? Subscribers on this tier won’t be able to watch new films that land on the streamer after their theatrical releases. Standard with ads How much is it? £5.99 a month. What does it include? This allows streaming on two devices in full HD and includes 30 downloads. Subscribers on this tier will be able to watch new films on the streamer following their theatrical release. Standard How much is it? £9.99 a month. What does it include: This is essentially exactly the same as the previous tier, just without ads. Premium How much is it? £14.99 a month. What does it include? Premium allows streaming on four devices in 4K Ultra HDwith Dolby Atmos where available, and allows 100 downloads. Otherwise it’s the same as Standard, with no ads and access to HBO Max’s film and TV catalogue, including recent cinematic releases. There is also a separate TNT Sports Plan, which can be purchased as a standalone plan or as an addition to other tiers. TNT Sports Plan How much is it? £30.99 a month What does it include? This includes access to TNT Sports 1-4, TNT Sports Ultimate, live event feeds and TNT Sports Original Documentaries. How do the HBO Max prices compare to other streamers? Currently, a standard Disney Plus subscription with ads costs £5.99 a month, standard costs £9.99 a month and premium costs £14.99 a month. Netflix plans range from £5.99 a month to £18.99 a month, while an Apple TV Plus subscription costs £9.99 after a free seven-day trial. Prime Video is available for all Amazon Prime customers, membership of which costs £8.99 a month, or £95 annually. What shows will be on HBO Max? When HBO Max arrives in the UK and Ireland, it isn’t only bringing new films and TV shows along for the ride. The truth behind 10-inch prosthetic penis that left TV fans 'stunned' AI chatbot mimicking Harry Potter character 'urged teen to consider suicide' JK Rowling's views on trans people cost me my longest friendship There’ll also be an extensive catalogue of older HBO properties that fans will be able to binge, rewatch, and fall in love with all over again. Friends, we’re looking at you. The Harry Potter TV reboot, coming next year, has been described as the ‘biggest streaming event of the decade’ (Picture: Aidan Monaghan/HBO via AP) New shows coming to HBO Max include: The Pitt, with all episodes of season one dropping on the day of launch, followed by season two being released on a weekly basis. Euphoria season three, which is launching on April 13. House of the Dragon season three, coming in the summer of 2026. The Harry Potter TV reboot, which is arriving in 2027 and which the bosses described as the ‘streaming event of the decade’. The DC Studios show Lanterns, starring Aaron Pierre, which is coming this summer. Other new shows include DTF St. Louis, Rooster and the third and final season of The Comeback. Subscribers will be able to binge past HBO and Warner Bros Television shows, including: Friends Game of Thrones The Sopranos The Big Bang Theory Girls Curb Your Enthusiasm… and much more. As for films, movies that will be available to watch on HBO Max will include: Sinners One Battle After Another Superman A Minecraft Movie Dune: Part One The Harry Potter franchise The Lord of the Rings franchise – and so much more. Reacting to the news of HBO Max launching in the UK on March 26 this year, one X user called @dreeezabz wrote: ‘I can’t believe it took this long.’ ‘Almost 15 months after it launched, #ThePitt S1 will finally air in the UK,’ @RyanJL remarked, while @Jayactii added: ‘THIS IS HUGE.’ ‘I could literally cry. I’ve prayed for times like this,’ @mcstardently also shared. Got a story? 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