HBO Max reached 1.5 million subscribers within its first five days of launching into the UK market on March 26, according to Ampere Analysis research.
Ampere said the figure is based on scaled estimates of sign-ups and service activations from its latest SVOD Economics dataset.
According to the researcher, this strong start places HBO Max on track to hit six million activated subscribers in the UK by the end of 2026 – making it the fourth-largest streaming service in the UK. In particular, this would be driven by TNT Sports content on HBO Max, including major football fixtures in early April.
Historically, Sky held exclusive rights to HBO content and portions of Warner’s movie library in the UK and Ireland. While that exclusivity has now ended, Sky remains a key partner.
Overall, 77% of HBO Max activations are from existing Sky or Now households, highlighting the importance of Sky’s customer base in HBO Max’s early adoption.
Sky’s longer-term contracts – typically around 24 months – are designed to help reduce churn for partner services. This is especially relevant in a market where around half of UK streaming subscribers who signed up in Q1 2025 had churned within a year.
Indeed, the research found that 12% of HBO Max subscribers cancelled at least one service in March 2026 prior to signing up. Where there was switching, it was mostly from streaming competitors rather than Sky and Now.
Ampere said that Disney+ (36%) and Prime Video (17%) accounted for the largest share of switching.
Mayssa Jamil, Senior Analyst at Ampere Analysis, said: “HBO Max is experiencing strong early uptake, with most users adding it to their existing mix of streaming services rather than replacing other subscriptions. Switching activity remains relatively limited, suggesting this is largely incremental growth rather than substitution. At the same time, Sky’s bundling strategy is reinforcing its continued role as a key distribution partner and is serving as a template for how pay TV operators can stabilise their customer bases in an era of cord cutting.”
HBO Max recently signed a distribution deal with leading German streamer RTL+ ahead of its launch in Germany on January 13. Discover more here.
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