Bad news for Binge as Max reveals content and pricing for Australian launch
Major US streaming platform Max has released details of its impending Australian launch in what appears to be bad news for Foxtel-owned Binge.
Max, owned by Hollywood giant Warner Bros Discovery, has the rights to a host of popular shows and movies from HBO, Warner Bros, the DC Universe, Discovery, Cartoon Network, TCM and HGTV as well as others.
The platform will officially be available to Australian subscribers from March 31.
Many of the Max offerings were formally exclusive to Foxtel and its local streaming platform Binge.
Among the shows moving to Max will be upcoming episodes of The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, Euphoria and the Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That, as well as Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
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Also available will be iconic HBO series such as Succession, The Sopranos and True Detective.
HBO shows midway through their current seasons – The White Lotus, The Righteous Gemstones and The Pitt – will remain Foxtel until 30 days after their completion before moving to Max.
News Corp is selling Foxtel and its associated streaming platforms to British sports streaming service DAZN.
Crowded market
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While the addition of Max to the Australian market will be welcomed by many, it only helps to dilute an ever-broadening local streaming landscape and add yet another subscription required for people to watch their favourite shows.
Netflix dominates the Australian streaming market with more than 6 million subscribers, followed by Amazon’s Prime Video with just under 5 million. Disney Plus, at more than 3 million subscribers, edges out the Nine-owned Stan with 2.6 million.
Paramount Plus has about 1.8 million subscribers, while Binge has some 1.5 million. Apple Plus does not publicly release its subscriber numbers but is thought to have about 25 million globally.
The RMIT’s expert on internet-distributed television Dr Alexa Scarlata told The New Daily last year that many Australians felt compelled to subscribe to multiple platforms to “stay in the loop”.
“Australian audiences have adapted to a crowded streaming market … no doubt propelled by the widespread take-up of smart TVs and the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns,” Scarlata said.
“Original content from services like Netflix, Prime Video and Apple TV+ are now important cultural touchstones [and] with content fragmented across services, audiences need multiple subscriptions to stay in the loop”.
Pricing
Max will be available via three plans: Basic with advertising, Standard and Premium. Introductory promotional pricing on all plans for subscribers who sign up by April 30, 2025, will be valid for the first 12 months.
The launch price offer for the Basic plan begins at $7.99 a month for the first 12 months or $79.99 annually. Standard will be $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year and the Premium Plan starts at $17.99 monthly for the first 12 months, or $179.99 for the first year.
The regular pricing will be $11.99 a month for Basic, $15.99 a month for Standard – both of which allow streaming on two devices simultaneously – and $21.99 a month for Premium on up to four devices.
