HBO Europe

HBO Europe is a premium television group of channels by HBO. It is available as a group of film channels and streaming television services in Hungary, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Moldova while VOD-only services with original programming is available in Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Portugal.

HBO Europe
CountryHungary, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Moldova, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway
HeadquartersBudapest, Hungary (Central Europe & Portugal)
Stockholm, Sweden (Nordic countries and Spain)
Prague, Czech Republic (original programming)
Ownership
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery International
Sister channelsHBO 2
HBO 3
Cinemax
Cinemax 2
History
LaunchedSeptember 28, 1991
Links
Websitehbo-europe.com

The administration of Central European countries and Portugal is headquartered in Budapest, Hungary; meanwhile the Nordic and Spain services operate from Stockholm, Sweden. HBO Europe has offices also in Prague, Belgrade, Bratislava, Bucharest, Zagreb, Lisbon, Madrid, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Sofia and Warsaw.

HBO Max has replaced HBO GO in Europe. It was launched in Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Moldova, Portugal and Poland on March 8, 2022,[1] while in Spain, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, it was launched on October 26, 2021.[2]

History

The first channel was launched in Hungary on September 28, 1991.[3] This was followed by the launch in Czech Republic, founding HBO Europe's predecessor under the name HBO Central Europe. In 1995 Walt Disney entered in joint-venture, and in 1996 it was launched in Poland (1996), Slovakia (1997), Romania (1998), Moldova (1999), Bulgaria (2002), Croatia, Slovenia (2004),[3] Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro (2006) and North Macedonia (2009).

In September, 2003 a new premium channel HBO2 was launched as the sister channel of HBO. In November, 2005, Cinemax and Cinemax2 stated to broadcast, while in September, 2007 a third channel named HBO Comedy was introduced as well.

Upon the launch of HBO in the Netherlands, HBO Central Europe was renamed HBO Europe in 2012. In 2011 HBO entered the market of streaming services with launching HBO Go's localized Central European version. Following HBO Go's launch, in 2012 HBO Nordic was launched in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, the first countries where HBO introduced only streaming services without any linear television channels. It was followed by the launch of HBO España in 2016 (the Dutch version was closed in the same year) and HBO Portugal in 2019, both of them being VOD-only services.

Brands

Television channels

HBO Europe owns premium film channels in its Central European operating area under the names HBO, HBO2, HBO3, Cinemax and Cinemax2. HBO serves as the flagship channel of the portfolio, while HBO2's programming consists of mainly family-friendly content. Former comedy channel HBO Comedy was rebranded in 2016 as HBO3, a premium channel focusing on television series. Cinemax serves as a mainstream cinema channel, while Cinemax2 offers art films.

Currently operating channels

Cinemax

Streaming services

HBO Europe owns streaming services throughout Europe. It has been operating services branded as HBO Go in Central European countries since 2011. Localized subtitles are available in Hungarian, Czech, Romanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Polish, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian and Macedonian. Localized dubbing and voiceover feeds are available in Hungarian, Czech and Polish usually a week after an original series' episode premieres. HBO Go is the leading streaming service in all of the countries in which it operates - as of August, 2019, it has 5.5 million subscribers throughout Central Europe. Its platform is developed in Budapest.

HBO was launched as a VOD-only brand in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland as HBO Nordic and in Spain as HBO España. Meanwhile, HBO Go is developed in Budapest, Nordic and España services are headquartered in Stockholm.

On August 15, 2012, HBO announced plans to launch HBO Nordic, a multiplatform video distribution service serving Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland that was created through a joint venture with Parsifal International.[4][5] The video on demand service launched in December 2012. HBO programming also airs in Iceland on Stöð 2.[6] In Spain, HBO programs were previously broadcast on pay television service Canal+, since 2011.[7] In 2016, during the discontinuation of the Canal+ branding in Spain, HBO launched a standalone streaming service called HBO España, which is the Spanish equivalent of HBO Now and HBO Nordic. HBO Europe had announced on multiple occasions that they were not aware that they were going to replace their current service with HBO Max, nor would their rates be increased.[8] However, in December 2020, the head of HBO Max, Andy Forssell, revealed that all HBO services in Europe, including HBO España and HBO Nordic, would be replaced by HBO Max. On October 26, 2021, HBO Max was launched in the Nordics (excluding Iceland) and Spain.[9]

In 2019, HBO's streaming service was also introduced in Portugal as HBO Portugal. Despite the fact that it is not branded as HBO Go, it uses the Central European platform.

In the 2010s, HBO Europe launched the streaming service HBO Go in 13 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. HBO programs in Portugal were previously broadcast on premium television channel TVSéries from the services of TVCine, since 2015. In 2019, less than a year before the discontinuation of TVSéries, HBO Europe launched a standalone streaming service called HBO Portugal. Similar to the Nordics and Spain, HBO Max was launched in Portugal[10] and Central and Eastern Europe on March 8, 2022,[11] replacing HBO Go and HBO Portugal.

Current programming

Original series

Acquired series

Movie library

HBO premieres movies after 8 months from theatrical release from the following studios:

Original programming

HBO Europe is also one of the largest producer companies for television in Central and Eastern Europe, operating HBO Europe Original Programming Ltd., headquartered in London, producing several local original scripted programming and series based on licensed formats.

Licensed formats include BeTipul (Bez tajemnic, Terapie, Terápia), Small Time Gangster (Umbre), Mammon (Mamon, The Pact) and When Shall We Kiss? (Társas játék, Rămâi cu mine, Až po uši).

Croatia
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Status
Uspjeh Crime drama January 6, 2019 1 season, 6 episodes 47–56 min. Pending

Czechia
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Status
Terapie Drama October 9, 2011 3 seasons, 116 episodes 21–29 min. Ended
Burning Bush Drama/Biopic January 27, 2013 3 episodes 72–84 min. Miniseries
Až po uši Romance/Drama/Comedy November 2, 2014 2 seasons, 23 episodes 35 min. Ended
Wasteland Drama/Mystery October 30, 2016 8 episodes 60 min. Miniseries
The Sleepers Drama November 17, 2019 6 episodes 60 min. Miniseries

Hungary
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Status Network
Terápia Drama October 22, 2012 3 seasons, 110 episodes 25 min. Ended HBO Europe
Társas játék Comedy drama October 23, 2013 2 seasons, 26 episodes 30 min. Ended HBO Europe
Aranyélet[12] Crime drama November 8, 2015 3 seasons, 24 episodes 48–57 min. Ended HBO Europe
The Informant Crime drama April 1, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes TBA Season 1 ongoing HBO Max

Poland
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Status Network
Bez tajemnic Psychological thriller October 17, 2011 3 seasons 17–29 min. Ended HBO Europe
Wataha[13] Crime thriller October 12, 2014 3 seasons 55 min. Ended HBO Europe
The Pact Detective/Crime thriller November 8, 2015 2 seasons 60 min. Ended HBO Europe
Blinded by the Lights[14] Crime thriller October 27, 2018 8 episodes 55–60 min. Miniseries HBO Europe

Romania
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Status Network
Rămâi cu mine Drama December 1, 2013 1 season, 13 episodes 30 min. Miniseries HBO Europe
Umbre[15][16] Crime drama December 28, 2014 3 seasons, 21 episodes 41–59 min. Pending HBO Europe
The Silent Valley Crime drama/Action October 23, 2016 1 season, 4 episodes 59–63 min. Miniseries HBO Europe
Hackerville[17][18] Crime drama October 21, 2018 1 season, 6 episodes 53–61 min. Miniseries HBO Europe
TNT Serie
Tuff Money Comedy drama November 22, 2020 1 season, 6 episodes 43–51 min. Pending HBO Europe
Ruxx[19] Comedy drama March 8, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes 45 min. Pending HBO Max
One True Singer[20] Reality competition April 1, 2022 1 season, 5 episodes 58–90 min. Season 1 ongoing HBO Max

Spain
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Status
The Pioneer Documentary July 7, 2019 1 season, 4 episodes 50 min. Miniseries
Foodie Love Romance/Comedy December 4, 2019 1 season, 8 episodes 30–45 min. Pending
En Casa Anthology June 3, 2020 1 season, 5 episodes 20–45 min. Miniseries
One Way or Another Comedy July 22, 2020 1 season, 10 episodes 30 min. Pending
Stage 0 Anthology September 13, 2020 1 season, 6 episodes 70 min. Miniseries
Patria Historical drama September 27, 2020 1 season, 8 episodes 50 min. Miniseries
30 Coins Mystery/Horror November 29, 2020 1 season, 8 episodes 50 min. Renewed[21]

Sweden
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Status Network
Gösta[22][23] Comedy July 1, 2019 1 season, 12 episodes 30 min. Pending HBO Europe
Beartown Drama October 18, 2020 1 season, 5 episodes 60 min. Pending HBO Europe
Pray, Obey, Kill[24][25] Docuseries April 4, 2021 1 season, 6 episodes 60 min. Ended HBO
Lust Sex comedy March 18, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes 25–29 min. Pending HBO Max

Norway
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Status Network
Beforeigners[26] Crime drama/Science fiction August 21, 2019 2 seasons, 12 episodes 45–57 min. Pending HBO Nordic (Season 1)
HBO Max (Season 2–present)
Outlier[27][28][29] Crime drama November 18, 2020 1 season, 8 episodes 42–45 mins. Pending HBO Nordic

References
  1. Ravindran, Manori (1 February 2022). "HBO Max Prepares to Launch in 15 More Countries in Europe". Variety. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  2. Chan, J. Clara (8 September 2021). "HBO Max to Begin European Launch in October". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  3. Szczepanik, Petr (2021). "HBO Europe's Original Programming in the Era of Streaming Wars" (PDF). Screen Industries in East-Central Europe. London: The British Film Institute. p. 191–210. doi:10.5040/9781839022760.ch-6. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  4. Flint, Joe (15 August 2012). "HBO and 20th Century Fox renew output deal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  5. Richwine, Lisa (15 August 2012). "Netflix, HBO to battle for Nordic viewers". Reuters. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  6. Kjartansson, Kjartan Atli (3 December 2014). "Stöð 2 í samstarf við HBO". Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  7. "Canal Plus firma un acuerdo con HBO para emitir en primicia las mejores películas de la emisora estadounidense". El Correo Gallego (in European Spanish). 7 January 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  8. "HBO Max tiene fecha de lanzamiento para plantar cara a Netflix". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 21 April 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  9. Parra, David (8 September 2021). "HBO Max llega a España el próximo 26 de octubre". ADSLZone (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  10. {{cite web|title=HBO Max chega a Portugal em março|url=https://mag.sapo.pt/amp/tv/atualidade-tv/artigos/hbo-max-chega-a-portugal-em-marco%7Cdate=1 February 2022|access-date=10 March 2022|website=Sapo}
  11. Malik, Aisha (1 February 2022). "HBO Max is expanding to 15 more countries in March". TechCrunch. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  12. Attila, Varga (30 October 2015). "Hollywoodban is beszámoltak az Aranyélet-premierről". Index (in Hungarian). Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  13. ""Wataha". Startują zdjęcia do 2. sezonu [WIDEO+ZDJĘCIA]". Telemagazyn (in Polish). 28 September 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  14. "Breaking News – HBO Europe's Original Drama Series "Blinded by the Lights" Available to U.S. Viewers Today" (Press release). WarnerMedia. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2022 – via The Futon Critic.
  15. Holdsworth, Nick (17 December 2014). "HBO Europe Launching Romanian Crime Drama 'Umbre'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  16. "HBO a anunțat premiera sezonului 3 al serialului românesc "Umbre". Câte episoade va avea noul sezon". TVMania (in Romanian). 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  17. Clarke, Stewart (16 February 2018). "HBO Europe, TNT Serie Join Forces on Cyber-Crime Drama 'Hackerville'". Variety. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  18. White, Peter (20 September 2018). "'Hackerville': HBO Europe & Germany's TNT Series Debut Cyber-Crime Thriller Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  19. Ravindran, Manori (1 February 2022). "HBO Max Prepares to Launch in 15 More Countries in Europe". Variety. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  20. Ramachandran, Naman (17 March 2022). "HBO Max Details Content Strategy for Central and Eastern Europe, Reveals New Format 'One True Singer' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  21. Lang, Jamie (February 11, 2022). "'30 Coins' Season 2 Confirmed at HBO Max". Variety. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  22. Mitchell, Robert (16 May 2019). "HBO Europe Releases First Look Trailer for Lukas Moodysson TV Comedy 'Gosta'". Variety. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  23. Björkman, Elias (26 June 2019). "Sommarens finaste polisserie är här". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  24. Petkovic, Vladan (18 Jan 2021). "HBO Europe announces limited documentary series Pray, Obey, Kill". Cineuropa. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  25. Sneider, Jeff (5 April 2021). "'Pray, Obey, Kill' Trailer: HBO Docuseries Examines a Bizarre Crime in Sweden". Collider. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  26. "Review: 'Beforeigners' mashes up the buddy cop genre and sci-fi time travel in this Norwegian drama". Chicago Tribune. 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  27. Keslassy, Elsa (15 June 2020). "REinvent Kicks Off Pre-Sales on Hot New Scandi Drama 'Outlier' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  28. Johnson, Travis (12 August 2021). "New crime series 'Outlier' brings Western notes to Nordic noir". SBS. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  29. Keller, Joel (19 July 2021). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Outlier' On Acorn TV, Where A Criminologist Returns To Norway To Catch A Serial Killer". Decider. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.