HBO Max offloads European reveals to Comcast and Paramount

The 21 reveals embody three brand-new European collection which have accomplished manufacturing however that are but to air (ID, The Winner, and Warszawianka) in addition to preexisting reveals like Lust and Kamikaze. Upcoming reveals will probably be branded as “SkyShowtime Originals” after they launch. Existing reveals have been faraway from HBO Max as a part of final 12 months’s restructuring in order that they could possibly be licensed out to different platforms. In complete, SkyShowtime says the deal covers 168 episodes and over 150 hours of programming, considerably bulking out the nascent streaming service’s library of native content material.

The deal is a part of makes an attempt by HBO Max’s new guardian firm, Warner Bros. Discovery, to find around $3.5 billion in cost savings after its merger in April final 12 months. HBO Max solely launched in choose European markets months earlier in September 2021, changing a patchwork of preexisting streaming providers like HBO Go and HBO Nordic. And additional adjustments are nonetheless to come back, with Warner Bros. Discovery intending to exchange HBO Max completely in 2023 with a brand new service primarily based on the tech stack of Discovery Plus.

Other reveals included as a part of the deal embody Por H o Por B, Beartown, Beforeigners, Kamikaze, Lust, The Informant, Czech It Out!, Foodie Love, Hackerville, No Activity, One True Singer, Pray, Obey, Kill, Ruxx, Success, Todo Lo Otro, The Sleepers, Tuff Money, and Welcome to Utmark.

The deal is similar to the mannequin that HBO has used for bigger European markets, the place it’s licensed its content material to native operators like Comcast-owned Sky within the UK. 

“As a streaming service created specifically for Europe, SkyShowtime is committed to consumers in our markets,” SkyShowtime CEO Monty Sarhan mentioned in a press release. “Local programming is an important part of our strategy, and we are pleased to be the home for these new series, as well as popular shows that resonated with audiences across the Nordics, Central & Eastern Europe, and Spain.”

The SkyShowtime streaming service originally launched last September in 4 European markets and has subsequently expanded to eight extra. It’ll ultimately be accessible throughout 22 markets throughout the continent by the tip of Q1 2023, providing native programming along with content material from Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation, Paramount Plus, Showtime, Sky Studios, and Peacock. 

Disclosure: Comcast is an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s guardian firm.