HBO Max thrives in Eastern Europe

Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.'s HBO Max is taking the lead in Eastern Europe, surpassing competitors including Netflix Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime Video in terms of availability through local operators. This is due to strategic partnerships with regional operators, as evidenced by a survey of 53 service providers in 15 Eastern European countries. Of these providers, 28 offer HBO Max, seven offer Netflix, three offer Viaplay, two offer Amazon Prime Video and one offers Disney+.

Of the 15 countries surveyed, 47 operator-owned over-the-top services were found to be in operation. Initially intended as value-added services, these initiatives have become key components of operators' portfolios, especially for those that own TV networks or are affiliated with broadcasters. Other pay TV operators have also launched their own OTT services in an effort to meet the growing demands of subscribers and remain competitive. Currently, all major multiple-system operators offering triple- or quad-play services have their own dedicated OTT offerings.

Mobile operators are joining the OTT race, thanks to the widespread adoption of 4G and 5G technologies. As a result, even mobile-only operators like Play in Poland, Yettel in Hungary and O2 in Slovakia have launched their own OTT services. Other mobile operators are choosing to partner with external OTT services, further expanding the range of options available to consumers.

On March 8, 2022, premium streaming platform HBO Max expanded to 15 additional European countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. That brings the total number of markets where HBO Max is available to 61. In Europe, HBO Max has replaced the former HBO Go platform.

Another new player, Disney+, entered the region in summer 2022, including in Eastern European countries such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. In Poland, Disney+ has a deal with Cyfrowy Polsat to include its offerings in packages.

In the spring of 2023, HBO Max will merge with Discovery+. The two services will be merged into a single platform using Discovery's core infrastructure with feature enhancements from HBO Max. The new platform will offer improved content discovery and personalization. It will launch first in the U.S. in spring 2023, followed by Latin America later in the year, with Europe — which has seen a decline in local production and where many markets have yet to see HBO Max launch — following in early 2024.

Already a client? Access the full dataset here.