HBO Max’s UK Launch Is ‘Very Helpful’ to Netflix’s ‘Strategic Foundations,’ JB Perrette Says

Warner Bros. Discovery’s president of global streaming and games J.B. Perrette said HBO Max’s upcoming launch in the United Kingdom is “very helpful” for Netflix’s “strategic foundations.”

“[Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters] have an enormous amount of appreciation [and] respect [for] and value the HBO brand,” Perrette told reporters during a briefing on Monday. “They value the brand as we’re defining it, which is something that is distinct, premium and different to mass volume.”

Perrette added that Netflix wants the HBO brand to be “vibrant and dynamic, to be stronger and to be visible.”

“So having it in [the UK] market and begin to actually have more of a broad following, as opposed to just an industry following, which is sort of where [HBO content] has been residing within Sky, is very helpful for [Netflix’s] strategic foundations,” he added.

Though Perrette acknowledged that the company is in a “moment of corporate transition” that has been “hard for the team,” he touted the excitement around the streamer’s upcoming European launches as well as its 2026 slate, which includes new seasons of “Euphoria” and “House of the Dragon,” as well as the launch of DC Studios’ “Lanterns.”

He also teased that HBO’s “Harry Potter” adaptation, which is set to premiere in early 2027, would be the “biggest streaming event in the history of HBO Max and, arguably, I think, possibly in streaming.”

“The scope of the production, the detail, meticulousness of what they’re going through and what they’ve built takes theatrical to just a whole different level,” he continued. “So when you think of the love of that franchise and what you can do in a series — go deeper, tell more of the story, tell more of the pieces that you didn’t get to capture in a two-hour movie – Casey [Bloys] doesn’t like it when I say this, but I’m going to say it anyway: I really think this is the streaming event of the decade.”

HBO Max will be available in the U.K. and Ireland starting March 26 through four available plans: the £4.99 per month Basic with Ads, £5.99 per month Standard with Ads, the £9.99 per month ad-free Standard plan and the £14.99 per month Premium plan.

Additionally, WBD will offer a £30.99 per month TNT Sports plan, which includes TNT Sports 1-4, TNT Sports Ultimate, live event feeds and TNT Sports original documentaries and can be purchased standalone or as an add-on.

The expansion across Europe comes as some of HBO Max’s programming has been available in the region through an output deal with Comcast’s Sky. While that deal remains in place, Perrette emphasized that in order to get everything HBO has to offer, the “only place you can get it is HBO Max.”

“You might be able to see the newer season of Euphoria on Sky, but the only place you’ll find all of it is HBO Max,” he said.

WBD’s U.K. and Ireland chief Andrew Georgiou added that there is a “world outside of Sky,” noting that 21 million streaming subscribers in the U.K. don’t subscribe to it.

“To be able to say to a bunch of the guys outside the Sky universe that they have access to a completely different proposition than Sky is compelling,” Georgiou added.

Executives previously said that Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming business, which has 128 million subscribers globally, is on track to reach at least 150 million by the end of 2026. In addition to Max’s availability in over 110 markets being critical to that goal, Perrette said the European rollout would help with talent relations.

“It’s hard when telling creative talent in Italy, Germany, the UK, or frankly the U.S., that you will be able to see their show in one place [in one territory], and in a different place in another [territory], ” he said. “Now we have a ubiquitous footprint. It is a hugely compelling proposition to say to creatives and talent, ‘You will be everywhere’.”

“Over time, we will continue to explore ways in which we can do more in this market,” he continued. “We are very much open for business at a time when the [UK] public service broadcasters are challenged and the model is challenged.”

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