HBO Max is finally set to expand beyond US borders, although you’ll have to wait a while to start on a Friends marathon outside the country. WarnerMedia has revealed that HBO Max will be available in 39 Caribbean and Latin American territories in late June 2021, including Mexico, Brazil, Haiti, Jamaica and Venezuela. The move will phase out existing HBO Go service, but those with direct subscriptions will have “instant access” to Max.
Subscription prices and platform support for the regions aren’t available yet. In the US, HBO Max costs $15 per month and is available on many mobile and living room platforms, including Amazon Fire TV and the latest game consoles.
The service is still due to reach Europe sometime later in 2021, although there’s no word on the timeline for that. WarnerMedia also hasn’t outlined plans for Canada and other countries.
Streaming services frequently take time to expand beyond their home markets, but WarnerMedia may be in more of a rush than usual. It’s beating expectations in the US and could translate that momentum to other countries. More importantly, this could be vital to the company’s movie release plans. With all Warner Bros. movies debuting on HBO Max in 2021, this could be key to boosting viewership while the pandemic makes theatrical releases impractical.