INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Australia could be set to receive yet another major Netflix-competitor in its ever-growing stable, with a local trademark filing pointing to
the arrival of HBO Max, an upcoming streaming service that's set to launch in the US early next year.According to the Sydney Morning
Herald, Home Box Office Inc filed the aforementioned trademark application for the HBO Max name in Australia last week, leading some
commentators to wonder how this will affect the company's existing long-term licensing agreement with Foxtel.In the US, the upcoming
streaming service will be host to an "extensive collection of exclusive original programming (Max Originals) and the best-of-the-best from
indeed being readied for an Australian launch, its impending arrival raises a number of questions
For instance, will Aussies get access to the full HBO lineup, including favourites like Game of Thrones and upcoming heavy-hitters like the
new Watchmen series? Or will the service be limited to exclusive Max Originals in order to keep the existing Foxtel agreement afloat?When it
launches in the US, the service will also become the exclusive streaming home for a number of shows from The CW, including the upcoming
Batwoman series starring Ruby Rose and the Riverdale spin-off, Katy Keene
You can check out the service's announcement trailer below.Parent company WarnerMedia has also confirmed that HBO Max will boast all 236
episodes of the classic sitcom Friends at launch in the US, though it's unclear whether that will carry over to Australia, where the show
is a Stan exclusive.Of course, HBO Max will also have to contend with the highly-anticipated Disney Plus streaming service, which is
