Warner Bros. Discovery said on Tuesday that it has struck a bundling partnership with French pay-TV giant Canal+ for its May 21 launch of streaming service Max in France.
Max will also become available in the Netherlands and Belgium on June 11, with customers in Belgium receiving early access before the full launch on July 1.
Max’s launches in Iberia, the Nordics, and Central and Eastern Europe were previously unveiled for May 21, making the streamer available across 25 countries in Europe and 65 countries and territories globally. WBD said that “still many more markets” are set to follow over the next two years.
In addition to direct sales through max.com, and via in-app purchases, Max will launch across Europe with a number of new distribution partnerships “which will help get the service faster and more efficiently into more consumers’ hands,” the company said. “At launch in France, Max will be available to consumers through an unprecedented array of distribution partnerships across almost all the largest mobile, broadband, and pay-TV players.”
Canal+ consumers who subscribe to the Ciné Séries, Friends & Family, Intégrale and Rat+ packages will have access to Max as part of their subscription at no additional cost. The deal for this builds on an existing distribution partnership between WBD and Canal+. It will also make Max available on its platforms in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
Canal+ Brand Solutions will also sell the Max advertising inventory carried on the advertising-supported tier in France, the partners said.
Meanwhile, in France and Spain, Amazon’s Prime Video will make Max available for purchase to its subscribers. “The agreement builds on the current partnership that makes content from Warner Bros. Discovery available on Prime Video Channels in France,” the company said. “Current Warner Pass subscribers in France will get an upgraded experience with Max on Prime Video Channels. Through partnerships with the majority of French mobile, broadband and pay TV providers including Free, Orange, and SFR, Max will be launching with unprecedented distribution support.”
Said JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming & games at WBD: “Strong partnerships will turbo-charge scale and build greater awareness for Max, helping us to reach new users faster, more effectively and more efficiently. Warner Bros. Discovery is still in the early days of our streaming growth. With almost half of the global addressable market still to come, we are excited and optimistic about the road ahead.”
