HBO Max has now launched in the UK, and is free to Sky subscribers. It's also dropped the first trailer for its much-anticipated Harry Potter TV series, which you can watch below.
If you watched to the end you'll have seen a nice little surprise – the show will premiere on Christmas Day this year. Previously it was flagged as coming in 2027, so this should be a nice little treat for Potter fans.
And they include my son. Thank you, HBO Max. It should buy me a few hours' peace for a post-Christmas-lunch slumber.
Article continues belowIt's not been announced whether the entire first series will drop on Christmas Day, or just the first episode. Please the former please the former please the former.
Each season of the new series will focus on one book, giving much greater scope than the Harry Potter films of the early 20th century. The first in the series is Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone.
Of course, there's a lot more to HBO Max than pubescent wizards. The network is know for its big-budget series like Game Of Thrones (and the spinoff House Of The Dragon), The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Boardwalk Empire.
HBO Max Basic with Ads is free to Sky Q customers, and those with Sky Glass or Sky Stream who have the Ultimate TV package. This HBO Max tier is limited to Full HD picture quality, lets you stream on two devices at once and doesn't include movies that stream on HBO Max following a cinema release.
Here's a full recap of the HBO Max tiers (plus TNT Sports).
- Basic with Ads (£4.99 per month): stream on two devices at once, limited to Full HD resolution. Doesn't include those movies that stream on HBO Max following a cinema release
- Standard with Ads (£5.99 per month): the same as Basic with Ads, but includes "all the best HBO Max shows and movies" and gives you 30 downloads a month for offline viewing
- Standard (£9.99 per month): the same as Standard with Ads but without the adverts
- Premium (£14.99 per month): this ups the quality to 4K with Dolby Atmos (where available), lets you stream on four devices at once and gives you 100 downloads a month
- TNT Sports (£30.99 per month): this brings all manner of live sports like 185 UEFA Champions League matches and every game in the Europa League and Conference League, plus some Premier League matches and tennis. This is in 4K and Dolby Atmos, and lets you stream on two devices at once
Sky customers can upgrade to a superior HBO Max tier if they wish, but it'll cost you. And those without Sky can take out a standalone subscription to HBO Max – the first time HBO shows have been available to non-Sky customers in the UK.
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