A new player about to enter the video streaming arena. The Max platform, merger of HBO Max and Discovery, home of the prestigious HBO series and soon a new adaptation of Harry Potter, will be launched in Europe, particularly in France, in 2024, Warner Bros. executives announced on Monday. Discovery at Mipcom in Cannes. This launch will take place in two stages, with a first salvo in the spring in the 22 countries which already offered HBO Max (Scandinavia, the Netherlands, the Iberian Peninsula and Eastern Europe, etc.), “very quickly” after the Latin America, explained Leah Hooper Rosa, in charge of streaming for the media conglomerate in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
In France and Belgium, the platform will arrive “later” in the year, she added, without specifying a date. Variety magazine, for its part, mentioned a launch in the summer of 2024 in France, which Warner Bros. has not commented on. Discovery, requested by AFP. The firm announced in April the filming of its very first French production designed specifically for Max, “La mythomane du Bataclan”, a mini-series inspired by a true story with Laure Calamy in the lead. The launch of HBO Max in the country of the language of Molière had been postponed indefinitely after the giant merger in 2022 between WarnerMedia, parent company of HBO and CNN, and Discovery (Eurosport).
In the meantime, a paid Warner pass on the Amazon platform, Prime Video, has allowed access since March to HBO series (“Game of Thrones”, “Succession”, etc.) which disappeared from the channel package in January. paying OCS, their historic broadcaster in France. As in the United States, where Max was launched in May, the new platform will also broadcast live programs in Europe, particularly sports, via the Eurosport portfolio (Grand Slam tennis, cycling, etc.). In Europe, Max will be “the home” of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, said Leah Hooper Rosa.
