HBO Max to Launch on June 16

Wednesday 22 April 2026 – Auckland, New Zealand: Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) today announced that HBO Max, its premium direct-to-consumer streaming service, will officially launch in Aotearoa New Zealand on 16 June, with the service also becoming available in the Cook Islands and Tokelau.

HBO Max will be the only place New Zealanders can catch iconic HBO Originals, including the third season of House of the Dragon, landing on the service in June at the same time as its U.S. premiere.

Additional new HBO and Max Originals launching in the second half of 2026 include Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness (from Larry David, produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground), Lanterns (from DC Studios), Stuart Fails to Save the Universe (from The Big Bang Theory universe), the fourth season of the hit period drama The Gilded Age, as well as  the  hugely anticipated eight-episode first season of the upcoming  HBO Original  “Harry Potter” series, titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the trailer of which recorded almost 300 million organic views within 48 hours of being released.

HBO Max subscribers enjoy exclusive access to HBO Originals such as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Euphoria, The Last of Us, The Wire, The White Lotus, Succession, The Penguin, Game of Thrones, DTF St. Louis, The Sopranos, Rooster, Girls, Sex and The City, Flight of the Conchords, Industry, Chernobyl and True Detective, as well as Max Originals including And Just Like That… and the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning The Pitt.

Subscribers can also catch Warner Bros.’ deep library of  movies,  including recent blockbusters, Academy Award  recipients such as 2026 winners One Battle After Another, Sinners and Weapons, and expansive global hit franchises like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the DC Universe.

HBO Max is home to perennial fan favourites like Friends, Rick and Morty and The Big Bang Theory.

Thought-provoking documentaries like 2026 Academy Award-nominee The Alabama Solution also sit alongside popular factual and lifestyle content from Discovery and TLC such as Outback Opal Hunters, Deadliest Catch and 90-Day  Fiancé.

Michael Brooks, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand at Warner Bros. Discovery, said: “New Zealanders have a well-earned reputation for creativity and originality, which we believe is one of the reasons our premium content slate has always resonated so strongly with audiences here.

“When we launch HBO Max on 16 June, it will be coming off the back of an incredible awards season, and there is still so much more to come in 2026, starting with House of the Dragon in June, right through to the biggest TV event of the year with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone at Christmas.”

Further details about subscription tiers, pricing and partnerships will be announced closer to the 16 June launch date. Audiences in New Zealand can sign up for updates at  www.hbomax.com.