HBO Max: Streaming service available in Germany from January 13
After a long wait, there is a launch date for HBO Max: On January 13, the streaming subscription will come to Germany. It starts at 6 Euros per month.
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On January 13, 2026, the streaming service HBO Max will launch in Germany. This means that HBO content, which was previously available on Sky services, will be available in its own streaming service for the first time.
Like other streaming services, HBO Max will be available in Germany in three tiers, Warner Bros. Discovery announced on the HBO Max website.
- Basic with Ads: Costs 6 Euros per month. From January 1, 2027, the price will increase to 7 Euros per month.
- Standard: Costs 12 Euros per month. From January 1, 2027, the price will increase to 13 Euros per month.
- Premium: Costs 17 Euros per month. From January 1, 2027, the price will increase to 18 Euros per month.
A sports add-on subscription for 3 Euros per month is available for each plan. This includes Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 with cycling, tennis, and other sports.
4K only with Premium
In terms of pricing, HBO Max is thus aligning itself with other streaming services such as Disney+ and Netflix. Similarities can also be found in the restrictions of the respective tariffs: In the basic subscription with ads and in the standard subscription, you can stream on two devices simultaneously in Full HD resolution. The standard subscription is ad-free and offers the option to download 30 titles for offline viewing.
The full HBO program is available in the Premium subscription: Here, streaming is possible on four devices simultaneously, and the resolution increases to 4K. Dolby Atmos is also available for audio playback in this subscription option. Up to 100 titles can also be downloaded in the Premium subscription.
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Cheaper than in the USA
Warner Bros. Discovery still owes further details. For example, the media company provides no information on HDR support – in the USA, HDR is only available in the Premium plan. It is also unclear how much advertising users can expect in the basic subscription with ad interruptions. Here too, a look at the USA could provide clarification, where HBO Max sets its users to six minutes of advertising per hour of streaming.
Compared to the costs in the USA, the German subscription prices are moderate. The Premium subscription costs around 23 US dollars per month in HBO's home market. However, this may only be a temporary discount to attract users to the streaming service before prices are inevitably raised. "Our quality gives us the opportunity to raise prices," Warner CEO David Zaslav recently said according to the Hollywood Reporter at a conference hosted by Goldman Sachs. "We believe we are far too cheap." (dahe)
