HBO Max Launches in India on JioHotstar
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- HBO Max launched in India for the first time, with JioHotstar — backed by Disney — serving as its exclusive distribution partner
- The HBO Max hub on JioHotstar features Euphoria Season 3, the upcoming House of the Dragon Season 3, the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone TV series, plus Max originals, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, and DC Studios content
- This launch marks the first time all of HBO Max's content is being offered in one place in India; JioHotstar previously distributed only HBO content under a multi-year licensing deal
- HBO Max is priced as an add-on starting at ₹49 (50¢) per month and includes JioHotstar's full international content library
- WBD Asia Pacific President James Gibbons called India "the most challenged" Asian market in a 2024 Deadline interview, but now describes it as "one of the most vibrant streaming markets globally"
- HBO Max recently completed its European rollout with launches in the UK and Ireland, and Paramount CEO David Ellison has said he plans to merge Paramount+ with HBO Max if the two studios combine
Why it matters: WBD secures direct access to one of the world's largest streaming audiences via JioHotstar's existing scale, sidestepping the cost of building a standalone service in a market its own president previously called the toughest in Asia. At ₹49, HBO Max's premium Western catalog becomes accessible to millions of Indian subscribers who previously could only get a slice of HBO content through a licensing deal.
