Max streaming in Australia: Everything we know

Max is an American streaming video-on-demand service formerly known as HBO Max. HBO Max dropped the 'HBO' and rebranded to Max back in July 2022, following a merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc. that formed Warner Bros. Discovery. Pound for pound, Max is effectively the same as HBO but with that said, it did get caught up in a series of cost-cutting measures during the corporate merger. Not long after the merger and Max rebrand,several direct-to-streaming titles were removed from the service, and upcoming projects were cancelled despite being close to completion, including but not limited to the Batgirl movie and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. So it’s not entirely fair to call Max the exact same streaming service as HBO Max.

Despite this grim string of cancellations, Max is moving full-steam ahead with its global rollout and is heading to Australian screens within the first half of 2025.

During the 2024 APOS media and entertainment convention in Indonesia, Warner Bros. Discovery’s APAC head honcho James Gibbons revealed the plan to roll out direct-to-consumer Max services throughout the Asia Pacific region over the “next few weeks and months.” Confirming Australia’s place on the timeline, Gibbons confirmed that Max’s direct service would be launching in Australia “in the first half of next year [2025]”(AFR).

Look, the short version is this: we don’t know how much Max will sting Australian subscribers when it eventually launches in 2025 but that doesn’t mean we can’t make some educated guesses.

Ultimately, it will depend on the way Max decides to roll out in Australia. Max’s APAC rollout has already begun in Japan, where Warner Bros. Discovery has partnered with local streamer U-Next to launch a dedicated in-app home for Max content at no extra charge to existing subscribers. The financial details are blurry but, in exchange, Max will be granted the rights to stream some of U-Next’s local programming to a global audience. This doesn’t feel like DTC (direct-to-consumer,) but rather, direct to U-Next subscribers. It’s not clear whether this is a long-term plan or simply a temporary arrangement to build brand recognition in Japan before going completely solo. 

In Australia’s case, you can swap out U-Next for Foxtel and Binge. Foxtel and its streaming side-piece Binge have long held the keys to HBO content in Australia. Foxtel has depended on it more or less. So much so that the troubled end of Game of Thrones saw a huge spike in Foxtel Now cancellations (Foxtel’s only streaming option at the time.) Sure, Foxtel has its news and sports but when it comes to drama, Foxtel doesn’t amount to much without HBO or Max content.

So there a few potential paths forward for Max in Australia:

1. Foxtel gets the U-Next treatment. Foxtel, Binge and Hubbl get to keep all Max content in a dedicated branded channel/sub-service that doesn’t cost subscribers anything more. In return, Foxtel delivers some original content to global Max subscribers.
2. Foxtel gets a similar treatment as U-Next but subscribers have to pay more for the Max channel. Kind of like Disney Plus Star but as an optional upgrade rather than a default price hike.
3. Max launches a truly direct-to-consumer service that requires a standalone subscription fee. Max plans currently cost between US$15.99 and US$19.99 per month (there’s also a cheaper US$9.99 ad-supported plan.) At the high end, that’s roughly $5 more than Netflix’s most expensive plan according to current exchange rates.
4. Porque no los dos? The fourth option is that Foxtel and Binge do get a Max channel (or at least Max content,) and Max launches its competitor service simultaneously.
5. Warner Bros. Discovery acquires Foxtel, or at least everything that’s not sport or news, and transforms Binge into a Max app. Kind of like Paramount Plus did with 10 All Access. News Corp only recently suggested there was third-party interest in its pay TV offering so an acquisition isn't out of the question. 

There’s no sensible way to estimate the monthly cost with all factors considered, so let’s just run down Max’s current subscription costs side-by-side with a selection of Binge and Foxtel Now plans.

That’s a great question. The easiest answer is to say Max will stream a tonne of the most beloved drama series of all time; The Sopranos, Succession, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, The Penguin, The Leftovers, The White Lotus, Euphoria, Barry, Sex and the City and Boardwalk Empire are just a handful of modern classics that belong to HBO and Max. As a result, those same shows currently make up the bulk of the best TV shows on Binge in Australia. 

That’s not to mention Discovery’s side of the deal. 90 Day Fiancé, Alone, Deadliest Catch and HGTV’s House Hunters make up just a few of Discovery’s most popular reality shows.

Most of that is already available to stream in Australia via Foxtel and Binge, though. Plus, Foxtel’s own Lifestyle content, like Great Aussie Bake-Off and Selling Houses Australia, are just as if not more popular locally than whatever they're shilling over in the States. So right now a direct-to-consumer Max service only seems to make sense if it’s significantly cheaper than Foxtel and Binge already are (not likely) or if it brings something totally unique to the table in the way of exclusives.

You can, actually, already watch Max from Australia with the right VPN. Not every VPN will let you stream Max from Australia, and not every VPN will stream video-on-demand fast enough to make it worth your time. We’ve tested the most popular VPN services in Australia against HBO Max and Max and have settled on a reliable handful of VPNs. Here are the services we’ve had success with.