Hbo Max debuts in Italy on 13 January with live sports and exclusive productions to challenge Netflix and Disney+
Warner Bros Discovery launches its flagship platform that leverages an integrated offering of series, Hbo and Warner Bros films, local productions and live sports, including the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
In the streaming market, which has now become a central piece of the global competition for content, Warner Bros Discovery is ready to take the field with its flagship product also in Italy. On 13 January 2026, Hbo Max, the platform with which the group chooses to focus on direct-to-consumer, will also arrive in Italy. Hbo Max thus promises to be an obvious direct challenge to the main players in the sector: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
The strategy of the American group is based on the rationalisation of the offer. Hbo Max will concentrate in one app Hbo Original and Max Original series, the Warner Bros Pictures films, Warner Bros Television productions, the DC universe, and the entire Eurosport sports portfolio. In the presentation release, the offer is described as 'one of the strongest line-ups ever', with American and local content and a differentiating element: live sport.
The list is divided into three plans - 'Basic with advertising' at EUR 5.99; 'Standard' at EUR 11.99; 'Premium' at EUR 16.99 - and the EUR 3.00 Sport add-on. A structure designed to preside over different segments and intercept an audience now accustomed to years of platform expansion.
However, a central role in the architecture of the service will be played by sport. Hbp Max will broadcast all events of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, accessible on every floor at no extra cost. The Sport add-on will also guarantee tennis - Roland-Garros and Australian Open - cycling and motor sports, bringing it back into a proprietary dimension after Eurosport's exit from Sky.
There is no lack of the local component, which today is decisive in the strategies of global players. Italian productions include 'Portobello' by Marco Bellocchio, centred on the Enzo Tortora affair, and the series dedicated to the Melania Rea case with Maria Esposito. On the factual front come the docuseries 'Gina Lollobrigida: Diva Contesa' and 'Saman', together with the films 'Nonostante' by Valerio Mastandrea and 'Squali' by Daniele Barbiero. The aim is to create a territorial rootedness alongside the power of American brands.
