Amazon, Virgin and EE in talks with HBO to move Game of Thrones to their platforms

Warner Bros Discovery will reportedly launch its Max streaming service in the UK in 2026, potentially bringing an end to Sky's long-standing exclusivity deal on HBO shows.

It is also claimed that the studio is in talks with Sky's rivals about offering the Max service on their platforms – which will see the likes of Game of Thrones, its prequel House of the Dragon, Succession, and True Detective available to non-Sky customers.

According to the Financial Times, Warner is in discussion with Amazon, Virgin Media and EE, to add the Max app to their paid TV services. HBO content could also appear on their platforms outside the app, it is also claimed.

Sky TV customers needn't worry though, it is alleged that there are talks to include Max on Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream, too.

The UK launch of the streaming service is expected to take place in 2026 as the existing deal with Sky is said to expire at the end of 2025. The current agreement allows Sky to exclusively show HBO content on its TV platforms, plus the Now streaming service, and was signed in 2019.

Max has been available in the US for many years (under its previous title of HBO Max) and has more recently expanded to multiple other countries, including France, Spain, Sweden and Norway.

It is also available in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Warner Bros Discovery currently operates the Discovery+ streaming service in the UK, which includes TNT Sports programming, so has plenty of experience in running a streaming app in the region.

It is likely Max will also be available across multiple streaming devices and Smart TVs, not just the paid TV platforms mentioned above.

It's not yet known what will happen to shows that have traditionally been made in production partnership between HBO and Sky.

We'll bring you more on the launch of Max in the UK as and when we find out.