HBO Arrives in Italy in January: What Will Be on HBO Max, from the Olympics to Series, and How Much It Will Cost

For the first time since its inception, the American cable channel HBO will offer its television productions directly to the Italian public, without intermediaries. HBO Max will debut in Italy on January 13, 2026. This arrival is part of the platform's full European launch: on the same date, the service will also be launched in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein, with the United Kingdom and Ireland to follow in early 2026. It is a key piece of Warner Bros. Discovery's global strategy, which today boasts 128 million subscribers and aims to strengthen its international presence at a particularly delicate time for the group, which is evaluating acquisition offers from big names like Netflix and Paramount.

For the Italian public, the arrival of HBO Max means concentrating the entire HBO ecosystem into a single platform: from original series to Warner Bros. films, from Max Original productions to DC content, up to the rich Eurosport offering. The arrival of HBO Max also entails a concrete change in viewing habits: many flagship series that until today were housed on Sky/Now - The Pitt, Euphoria, The White Lotus, House of the Dragon - will migrate to the group's proprietary platform, while still remaining available in co-exclusive on Sky and NOW.

Already at launch, HBO will open an Italian section of the catalog, with local productions: in 2026, Portobello by Marco Bellocchio (from February 20), the series on the Melania Rea case, and the docu-series Gina Lollobrigida: Diva Contesa and Saman will arrive. Also announced for the platform are the Italian films Nonostante by Valerio Mastandrea and Squali, Daniele Barbiero's debut.

Prices and Plans: How the Offer Works

HBO Max enters the Italian market with a range of plans designed to offer a competitive service, also in terms of cost, compared to what competitors offer. The most economical option is the basic ad-supported plan, which targets users who want to access the complete catalog at a very low price, while Standard and Premium offer higher video quality, more devices, and an increasing number of downloads for offline viewing.

The app will support personalized profiles, targeted suggestions, parental control, and will be available on smart TVs, set-top boxes, browsers, smartphones, tablets, and consoles.

• Basic with Ads – 5.99 euros per month
  Full HD, 2 simultaneous devices.

• Standard – 11.99 euros per month
  Full HD, 2 devices + 30 downloads.

• Premium – 16.99 euros per month
  4 devices, 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Atmos, 100 downloads.

• Sports Package – 3 euros per month
  Addable to all plans, with the entire Eurosport offering.

Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics: The Strong Point

The highlight of the launch, however, especially for the Italian public, is the offer related to the upcoming Winter Olympic Games.

All HBO Max subscribers will be able to fully follow the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics (which will take place from February 6 to 22) at no additional cost. The coverage includes live broadcasts, programs from Casa Italia, editorial insights, and connections from the main venues.

The Sports Package, on the other hand, will include: Australian Open and Roland-Garros, the three Grand Tours of cycling, World Championships and World Cups of winter sports, FA Cup, UFC, athletics, motorsport, and over three hundred daily live events.

The Flagship Series of the HBO Max Catalog

The strong point of the catalog is obviously the series, television, and film offering. Especially on the show front, HBO is an international champion boasting some of the most watched and awarded productions in the world.

Already in the launch month, there will be important arrivals: the second season of The Pitt will debut, a medical drama that triumphed at the Emmys and became a media phenomenon in the United States. This will be followed by the second Game of Thrones spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and new seasons of hits like House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, The White Lotus, and Euphoria.

The new platform will also host the Italian debut of a series previously unreleased but much loved abroad: Industry.

Here are the HBO catalog series already confirmed:

• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

• The Pitt - second season

• House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Euphoria

• Industry (for the first time in Italy)

• Rick and Morty, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake

• Friends, The Big Bang Theory

On the film front, the catalog will boast titles produced by Warner Bros., including DC cinecomics and some much-loved franchises like the Harry Potter saga, awaiting the serial reboot currently in production and which will likely be hosted on the platform.

Among the films already announced:

• Superman

• The Batman

• Dune

• The entire Harry Potter saga

• Weapons

• The Conjuring: The Last Rites

Italian Productions

The most prestigious Italian exclusive with which HBO intends to entice the Italian public is obviously Portobello, Marco Bellocchio's miniseries starring Fabrizio Gifuni, which reconstructs the judicial and media downfall of Enzo Tortora. It will be available in the first month of launch, from January 26.

This will be followed by the series on the Melania Rea case, currently in production. Directed by Stefano Mordini, it tells the story of the 2011 femicide and the role of the media in constructing and demolishing public narratives.

On the crime front, two docuseries will arrive. Gina Lollobrigida: Diva Contesa is a three-episode docu-series on the legal battle surrounding the diva's inheritance, with unreleased materials and testimonies from real protagonists. Saman, on the other hand, reconstructs the case of Saman Abbas, covering the judicial investigation, family dynamics, and social impact.