Major US streaming app ‘in talks’ with Virgin Media, EE and Amazon over UK launch that could end exclusive Sky deal
A MAJOR US streaming app launching in the UK may spell trouble for fans of the popular Sky Atlantic channel and Now TV.
Sky customers, many of whom get a free standard Discovery+ subscription with their package, have been warned they may lose access to their favourite shows as the US streaming giant doubles down on a UK launch.
US platform Max – formerly known as HBO Max – has been officially plotting a UK launch since February.
The service is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company that assigned rights to stream its content in the UK to Sky.
Sky currently has an exclusive deal that allows it to stream Warner Bros. shows like The White Lotus, Succession and House of the Dragon on Sky Atlantic or Now TV.
The Sky Atlantic channel was created over a decade ago to be the UK destination for HBO (now Max) content.
However, this exclusive Sky deal runs out at the end of 2025.
With Max licensing contracted to Sky, Warner Bros. has effectively been barred from launching its own app in the UK.
The contract coming to an end paves the way for Warner Bros. to finally launch its Max service in the country.
Max will be kitted out with top HBO shows that are currently available via Sky in the UK.
New talks
Warner Bros. is now reportedly in talks with streaming rivals Virgin Media, EE and Amazon to add Max to their platforms.
According to the Financial Times, discussions have centred around the fee these providers would need to pay Warner Bros. to offer Max to their UK-based customers.
If Sky fails to cut a deal with Warner Bros., its customers will lose access to all Max (HBO) shows.
TV boffins at RXTVInfo reported that Max will effectively replace Discovery+ when it launches sometime around 2026 – as it will place all HBO, DC and Warner Bros. content under one roof.
Why should we disadvantage ourselves by not launching Max?
Gerhard Zeiler, president of Warner Bros. Discovery International
Sky, EE and Amazon all offer Discovery+ on their platforms.
Warner Bros. Discovery streaming app Max is currently only accessible in the US, South America, the Caribbean and parts of Europe.
Will viewers care for another streaming app?
Analysis by Millie Turner, Senior Technology & Science Reporter for The Sun.
Max – formerly HBO Max – is finally coming to the UK.
And while Warner Bros. will have certainly mapped out its potential consumer market across the country and the rest of Europe – will Brits really buy into another streaming app?
Following the announcement, social media – unexpectedly – didn’t flood with viewers exuding relief and excitement that their long wait was over.
Sentiment towards streaming apps is growing more sour worldwide, but particularly in the UK, as consumers feel ‘nickle and dimed’ into price hikes.
Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video all either increased their subscription costs last year, or brought previously free features behind a paywall.
That, alongside a Netflix-induced trend to block account sharing among family and friends, has left consumers feeling either ripped off – or that they need to trim down the number of apps they watch.
Plenty of social media users have vowed to stop paying for another streaming service, and are instead hopping from one to the next with monthly memberships.
Where this decision will leave Sky and Now TV is also in question, but it could make their offerings less attractive to consumers.
“It isn’t until 2026, but I am certainly not paying £6 a month for Sky’s own content,” one viewer wrote on X (previously Twitter) following the Warner Bros. announcement.
Do you have room in your life for another app?
European push
Though bosses are pushing for Max to be rolled out across the UK, as well as Germany and Italy.
“We want, we need to, and we will launch Max in these three markets,” Gerhard Zeiler, president of Warner Bros. Discovery International, said at the MoffettNathanson media conference in May.
“These are three of the most important markets outside of the US.
“There is no reason we should not do that.
“Why should we disadvantage ourselves by not launching Max?”
David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros., has also said the company will branch out into Asia and Australasia in 2025.
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