Warner Bros sounds out Australian partners ahead of local Max launch
The HBO parent is showing interest in launching Max in Australia with a telecommunications company as its primary partner, according to sources familiar with the talks.
Representatives of HBO parent Warner Bros Discovery have been sounding out potential partners in the Australian market ahead of a local launch of the company’s standalone streaming platform, Max, expected early next year.
Warner Bros Discovery has been engaged in talks with several media and telecommunications companies as the company moves to lock in a primary partner to anchor its launch offer in Australia, according to two sources familiar with the discussions not authorised to speak publicly.
Early discussions have indicated Warner Bros Discovery has shown interest in launching with a telecommunications company as its primary partner, one of the people said, in a move that would allow the platform to quickly build a subscriber base. A timeline has yet to be nailed down, another said, but the service is expected to land in Australia early next year. Warner Bros Discovery declined to comment.
Warner Bros Discovery’s president and CEO of global streaming and games, JB Perrette, told a Morgan Stanley conference in March that the company is “leaving money on the table” under current arrangements, which in Australia includes a deal with News Corp-controlled Foxtel. He said it would be “crazy” not to launch directly.
