Streaming platform Max is coming to Southeast Asia by end of 2024—report

Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to roll out Max in Southeast Asia by the end of 2024.

James Gibbons, the president of APAC for Warner Bros. Discovery, said Max will debut in several Asian markets, including South East Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, by the end of this year to replace the existing HBO Go services. It will also roll out in Australia in the first half of 2025.

Gibbons announced during the APOS media, telecoms, and entertainment industry conference in Bali, Indonesia that the streaming platform will be launched in the "coming weeks and months" in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

"Our goal is to reach the fan base and find a route to market for the fan base," he said.

This comes after Max was launched in Japan via local partner U-Next for no additional cost to consumers.

The agreement will be reciprocal, with U-Next acquiring Max's content while Max will also get certain Japanese content from U-Next, including anime, for its worldwide platform.

Likewise, it promises to "increase spend" on anime production after its success with some anime adaptations, including the recent Suicide Squad Isekai series.

Max, formerly known as HBO Max, was launched in the United States in May 2020. It offers content from Warner Bros., Discovery, HBO, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, TBS, TNT, Eurosport, and others.

In Asia, TV series and films on HBO are streamed on demand through HBO Go. Countries where the streaming platform is available include the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Singapore.