HBO Max announces UK and Ireland launch date and prices

HBO Max has announced its launch date and pricing for the UK and Ireland.

On Monday, the company revealed HBO Max will begin streaming in the UK on Thursday, March 26. The platform will launch equipped with its slate of originals including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, The Pitt, Heated Rivalry, and Euphoria, which UK viewers have been watching through Sky and NOW via licensing partnerships (Industry lovers, the HBO/BBC co-production is still streaming on BBC iPlayer).

HBO Max is launching in the UK and Ireland with content partners Sky and Prime Video, so expect that to reflect on the TV, movies, and sports available on day one.

Three platforms dominate the UK’s streaming arena right now; in its 2025 report, Ofcom (the UK’s communications regulator) found that two-thirds of UK households subscribe to at least one of Netflix, Prime Video, or Disney+, with Netflix the most subscribed-to service (six in 10 households have it). And with Netflix set to acquire Warner Bros., including HBO, (yes, it’s still happening and under review by the U.S. Department of Justice), rival streamers are looking at a tough challenge.

Notably, according to Ofcom, though broadcast TV still accounts for the majority of in-home viewing (56 percent) in the UK, YouTube is the second most-watched service in the UK, just behind the BBC.

How much will HBO Max cost in the UK and Ireland?

HBO Max will have four different plans available in the UK and Ireland; two with ads, two without.

Basic with ads (£4.99/month)

Stream on two devices in Full HD (except movies that have an exclusive “first stream” on HBO Max after showing in cinemas).

Standard with ads (£5.99/month)

Stream on two devices in Full HD (including movies that have an exclusive “first stream” on HBO Max after showing in cinemas). Plus, 30 downloads for offline viewing.

Standard (£9.99/month)

Everything you get with the “Standard with ads” subscription but without ads.

Premium (£14.99/month)

Stream on four devices in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos (where available) and 100 downloads. No ads.

In the UK, Netflix’s ad-supported standard tier is £5.99 per month, while its Standard tier is £12.99 per month and Premium is £18.99 per month. Disney+ (where UK viewers can watch Hulu content), sits at £5.99 / £9.99 / £14.99 per month for the same tiers; Paramount+ (where Showtime lives for UK viewers) is £4.99 / £7.99 / £10.99. Prime Video costs £5.99 for ad-supported streaming and £8.99 for ad-free standard, while Apple TV is £9.99.

HBO Max in the UK will also allow people with a TNT Sports streaming subscription (£30.99 per month extra) to watch within the HBO Max app, which means Premier League, Emirates FA Cup, Adobe Women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, etc.

Another day, another streaming service to fork out for — so, which one’s actually worth it?