Whether You're Keen to Watch 'The Last of Us', 'Barbie' or Classic Movies, Max Has Dropped More Details About Its Australian Launch
Film fans, get excited — Warner Bros' high-profile movies will get fast-tracked to the platform, while classic pictures will be available in the TCM hub.
By the time that March 2025 is out, Australians will have a new streaming service vying for their eyeballs. As rumoured since 2024, confirmed the same year and given an exact launch date earlier this year, Warner Bros Discovery's Max platform is launching locally on Monday, March 31. As that date approaches, more details have arrived regarding what'll be on offer, as well as pricing and plans, if you're keen to sign up to the new Aussie home of HBO's shows.
As already revealed, you'll want to subscribe if you're a The Last of Us fan — that's where you'll be watching the hit game-to-screen series' second season when it debuts on Monday, April 14. Max will also boast other HBO Originals, returning, new and old alike, such as The White Lotus; House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and any other Game of Thrones spinoffs; Euphoria; upcoming IT prequel series Welcome to Derry; and everything from True Detective,The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Oz, Deadwood, Big Love, True Blood, Big Little Lies and Westworld through to Succession, The Larry Sanders Show, Sex and the City, Flight of the Conchords, Bored to Death, Girls, Veep, Barry and Enlightened.
The platform's own Max Originals — so made for it, rather than for HBO — include And Just Like That...,, Peacemaker and The Pitt, while the Warner Bros television library also spans Friends, Rick and Morty, Gilmore Girls, Gossip Girl and more. Adventure Time, Looney Tunes and Scooby Doo are among the cartoon names hitting the service. Plus, content TV networks Discovery, Cartoon Network, TLC, Food Network, ID and HGTV are also on their way to the platform.
If you're a film fan, get excited about access to recent cinema releases at home, as well as classic fare. Alongside boasting movies from Warner Bros Pictures from the past few years, such as Barbie, Wonka, Trap, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice and Twisters — and also big franchises like The Lord of the Rings, Dune, the DC Universe and Harry Potter — Max will screen blockbusters fast-tracked from their silver-screen dates. And, the service will feature a TCM hub, which is where all-time greats such as Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket and Rebel Without a Cause will be available.
As for plans and pricing, there's three of the former — starting with a basic package that includes ads, then offering standard and premium options. The first spans full HD resolution and two devices streaming simultaneously, as does the second, with the latter also including 30 downloads to watch offline. Opt for premium and 4K resolution plus Dolby Atmos sound are featured, if they're available per title; four devices can stream simultaneously; and the downloads go up to 100.
As a launch special until Wednesday, April 30, 2025, the basic with ads plan is available for $7.99 per month for the first 12 months or $79.99 for the first year (or $11.99 per month/$119.99 per year from Thursday, May 1, 2025). The standard plan special is $11.99 per month for the first 12 months or $119.99 for the first year ($15.99 per month/$159.99 per year afterwards), while premium is available for $17.99 per month for the first 12 months or $179.99 for the first year (or $21.99 per month/$219.99 per year afterwards).
While the great streaming service rush, when new platforms seemed to appear every few weeks or so, is a few years in the past, HBO bringing Max to Australia remains huge news. At present, the US network's shows largely screen and stream to Aussie viewers via Binge and Foxtel. When the former launched, boasting HBO's catalogue was one of its big selling points. The deal between Binge, Foxtel and Warner Bros Discovery — which owns HBO — was extended in 2023, but it was reported at the time, accurately so it proves, that Max might debut in Australia from 2025.
Max will be available direct to consumers via its website and app stores — you'll sign up for it by itself — for viewing via mobile, tablet, gaming consoles and connected TV, but it will still keep a connection with Foxtel. If you subscribe to the pay-TV service, you'll get access to the Max app without paying extra.
Max launches in Australia on Monday, March 31, 2025 — head to the streaming service's website for more details.
