Warner’s Max launches in Asia, taking on Netflix in Hong Kong streaming war

The US streaming service is gunning for the top-three position in its new Asian markets, WBD CEO JB Perrette says

Reading Time:2 minutes

Warner Bros Discovery is bringing its Max streaming service to Hong Kong, along with content such as the Harry Potter series. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:15pm, 18 Nov 2024

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD)’s streaming service Max, formerly HBO Max, is set to go live in Hong Kong and other Asian markets on Tuesday, as the US entertainment and media giant battles with Netflix and local rivals in a crowded market.

Max will launch in Hong Kong, Taiwan and several southeast Asian countries, giving viewers access to “significantly better, richer content offering”, including popular franchises like Harry Potter and the DC Universe, said JB Perrette, WBD’s CEO and president of global streaming and games.

“The reality is Asia-Pacific is such a huge and important region, and while it was great to launch in North America, in South America, in Europe, we can’t really call ourselves a global product until we’re in Asia,” Perrette said in an interview last week.

WBD is gunning for the top-three position in its new Asian markets in terms of scale, engagement and profitability, the executive said.

DC Universe content, such as Wonder Woman, will be available through Max. Photo: Handout

In Hong Kong, US giant Netflix, local broadcaster ViuTV, and Google’s YouTube Premium were the three most popular on-demand video platforms as of June, according to Rakuten Insights data cited by Statista. Disney+, Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video are also available in the city.