The network behind massive hits such as White Lotus, House Of The Dragon, and Succession could be launching its own streaming service in Australia.
Senior executives from HBO’s parent company Warner Bros Discovery will fly to Sydney this week to meet with executives from both Foxtel and Nine, talks that will be critical to HBO’s plans in Australia – whether that means continuing to team up with a local provider or launch on its own.
The latter would prove to be a massive blow to Foxtel, whose Binge service features a heavy selection from HBO’s current run programs, as well as programming from its enviable content library.
It would also likely rule out classic Warner Bros shows such as Friends and The Big Bang Theory from appearing on Foxtel.
HBO’s deal with Foxtel is due to expire at the end of 2023, and is rumoured to be worth up to A$200 million a year.
With Nine likely to push up bidding, these figures are expected to soar, should either network succeed in striking a partnership deal.
Foxtel recently outbid Nine for a NBCUniversal deal, which will certainly fill the content gap should HBO and Warner decide to strike out on its own.
This will also spur Nine on to compete for the HBO package, which would be a huge boon for Stan. However, the US giant may simply sidestep both with a view to launching alone.
Foxtel chief Patrick Delany said in September he expects Warner Discovery to launch a streaming service in Australia, after the US giant announced plans to roll its HBO Max and Discovery + offering into a single US service next summer.
“In the case of HBO/Discovery and NBC Universal, it’s been interesting to see whether as stand alone, they’re strong enough to survive,” he said at the Media Partners Asia event in Singapore.
“HBO/Warner Bros certainly are indicating they are coming to the market”.
