Warner Bros Discovery confirms June launch date for Max in France, Poland
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has confirmed the date for the launch of its streaming service Max in key European markets including France and Poland.

JB Perrette
The streamer will arrive in France and Poland on June 11, when it also launches in Netherlands and Belgium, but it will retain the HBO Max name in the latter two markets.
WBD already operates HBO Max in more than 20 countries across the Nordics, Iberia, Netherlands and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and in most of these markets it is in the process of being replaced by Max to incorporate content from Discovery+.
C21 reported last year that WBD will retain the HBO Max brand for its service in the Netherlands and Belgium when it launches to avoid clashing with an existing service called Max. Customers in Belgium will initially receive early access before a full launch on July 1.
The news comes as WBD prepares to roll out Max in Iberia, the Nordics and CEE on May 21. This will make Max available in 25 countries across Europe and 65 countries and territories globally, with more markets to come over the next two years.
The streamer will feature hit films such as Barbie and Wonka alongside HBO originals including The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Euphoria, Succession, The Sympathizer, The Jinx Part Two and upcoming new comedy The Franchise.
A new slate of Max originals based on popular Warner Bros Pictures’ entities will be coming to Max, including The Penguin and Welcome to Derry, the prequel series to Stephen King’s It. Shows such as 90 Day Fiancé, Gold Rush, Naked & Afraid and Fixer Upper from Discovery will also be on offer, although their availability will differ for each market.
In addition to direct sales through max.com and via in-app purchase, Max will launch across Europe through a number of distribution partnerships with the likes of Canal+, Free, Orange and SFR in France.
In France and Spain, Amazon Prime Video will make Max available for purchase to subscribers. The agreement builds on the current partnership that makes content from WBD available on Prime Video Channels in France.
JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming and games at WBD, said: “Strong partnerships will turbocharge scale and build greater awareness for Max, helping us to reach new users faster, more effectively and more efficiently. Warner Bros Discovery is still in the early days of our streaming growth. With almost half of the global addressable market still to come, we are excited and optimistic about the road ahead.”
In related news, WBD UK and Ireland has confirmed the latest instalment in its ‘vs’ franchise will be Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood (working title, 2×60′).
Produced by Optomen, the two-parter will explore the feud between pop-superstar Swift and music industry mogul Braun, delving into the US$300m dispute after Braun bought the rights to Swift’s first six albums in June 2019.
The two episodes will examine the opposing sides of the argument, one exploring Swift’s version that the sale was conducted without consulting her and that she has since been blocked from buying back her masters, and the other examining Braun’s allegation that Swift refused to negotiate and instead incited a public feud by pitting her fan base against him.
The show will premiere on Discovery+ in June 2024 and follows Johnny vs Amber, Kim vs Kanye: The Divorce and Vardy vs Rooney: The Wagatha Trial.
It was commissioned by Charlotte Reid, VP of commissioning, networks and streaming at WBD in the UK and Ireland, and executive produced by Matt Reid. The series is executive produced by Nick Hornby and Sarah Eglin for All3Media-owned Optomen TV.
Reid said: “It’s a high-profile, high-interest story that opened debate on fandom and dominated headlines, one which will resonate with our viewers who are highly engaged with access-led documentaries like ‘vs,’ which continues to be a popular format on Discovery+.”