WBD eyes Max growth in UK as Sky loses HBO exclusivity

Warner Bros Discovery UK chief Andrew Georgiou has labelled its freshly minted deal with Sky as a “very different” type of partnership to previous incarnations, with HBO shows set to become available to local viewers outside of the pay TV operator’s universe for the first time in decades.

Yesterday’s deal, which came alongside a broader agreement between WBD and Sky parent Comcast in the US, will see the ad-supported version of flagship streamer Max added to Sky customers’ package at no extra cost from 2026.

It enables Sky to continue to offer HBO shows to viewers but talking to Broadcast International, WBD UK & Ireland chief Georgiou talked up the opportunity of its non-exclusive nature.

“It is a very different deal to the one we had with Sky previously, this is not a licensing deal,” Georgiou said, referring to the companies’ previous exclusive arrangement that was most recently extended in 2019.

It means shows such as The Penguin, The White Lotus and Dune: Prophecy will be available to Sky customers but also accessible via the Max app, which will be rolled out widely in the UK and Ireland in 2026.

The timeframe of the new Sky deal has not been revealed but Georgiou said it had been agreed around six weeks ago, adding that discussions are well underway with other third-party companies.

“We’re not talking about the specific economics [of the Sky deal] but on the one hand it means the value we get from Sky continues to grow, which is great, but most importantly, because it is non-exclusive, it allows us to really go after those 10m SVoD subscribers who sit outside of the Sky universe and go D2C [direct-to-consumer] to them or work with third parties for the first time.

“In this market, HBO content hasn’t been available outside of Sky for decades and so being able to take that content D2C and really grow our subs base outside of the Sky universe is a really important opportunity for revenue growth for the business and ad sales revenue too.”

Co-production halt

Georgiou also confirmed that the co-production pact struck between Sky and HBO as part of the 2019 agreement has not been extended. That deal led to litigation between the companies over the forthcoming Harry Potter series, with the case now settled.

Georgiou added that the Max app would be launched via Apple and Android stores, while deals with third-party carriers are expected to be announced in the coming “weeks and months”.

“It is completely open - we can work with any third party now to look at traditional ways of distributing streaming services or completely new ways of doing that.”