Streaming operators in Australia face a new competitor next year with Warner Bros. Discovery set to launch their Max platform despite recent HBO launches in Australia failing to attract large audiences.
Currently Warner Bros. Discovery are struggling with shares in the US Company falling 27.6% year to date as competitors such as Netflix and Fox Network shares gained 44% and 35.6% respectively.
Warner Bros owns CNN, the Cartoon Network, the DC comic brand and HBO and its hit shows like House of the Dragon, Succession and The Last of Us which have.
Warner Bros’ Asia-Pacific president James Gibbons announced the rollout on Wednesday at a regional conference in Bali attended by Foxtel management.
“We can confirm we’ll be launching our direct service in Australia in the first half of next year. That’s definitely happening,” he told the APOS conference in Bali.
“We have had a long-standing and really important relationship with Foxtel, and I think the time has come for us to expand that into the DTC [direct-to-consumer] space.”
The decision to move into Australia directly comes as consumers cut back on discretionary spending.
Max formerly known as HBO Max will be launched in Australia in the first half of 2025.
Patrick Delany the CEO of Foxtel told ChannelNews several months ago that he was aware Max was set to launch in Australia next year.
The move comes despite the Foxtel Group growing their subscriber base for streaming clients.
Foxtel’s total paid subscribers sit at 4.591 million (4.537 million paid), a 1% drop from the same quarter in FY23.
Binge has 1.477 million subscribers while Kayo has 1,466 million total subscribers, up 10% year-on-year.
Netflix is the market leader in Australia with 6.2 million subscribers, followed by Amazon Prime Video 4.8 million, and Disney+ with 3.1 million.
A Foxtel spokesman said. “Warner Bros. Discovery is a long-standing strategic partner of the Foxtel Group,” “As we have long said, optionality remains at the heart of our partnership.”
