WBD’s Andrew Georgiou says ‘eventual’ Max UK launch part of thinking around TNT Sports

White Lotus

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) exec Andrew Georgiou has discussed the rationale behind the creation of TNT Sports in the UK, admitting that it formed part of a broader strategy ahead of the “eventual” launch of streamer Max in the country.

A roll-out of Max, and its forerunner HBO Max, in the UK has not yet occurred partly because Sky has an extensive output deal with HBO that runs until 2025.

Georgiou said that part of the reason behind the launch of TNT Sports, which was created via a joint venture with telco BT Group in 2022, was to provide greater clout to WBD’s offering in the country.

Andrew Georgiou (Richard Kendal/RTS)

“From our perspective, we had a business in the UK around the legacy Discovery channels and our partnership with Sky, certainly through the end of 2025 and hopefully beyond but it was something that was three years away,” said Georgiou, who was named president & MD of WBD UK & Ireland and WBD Sports Europe earlier this year.

The exec, speaking at the RTS Cambridge Convention, continued: “The opportunity to work with BT to combine their existing entertainment and sports portfolio in advance of the eventual launch of Max in this market was something that strategically we wanted to do.

“We also saw the opportunity to bring the BT portfolio together with the Eurosport portfolio to create greater offer for the consumer.

“It gave us a fuller, more premium content portfolio and that is a journey we will undertake through 2025/26 in partnership with Sky and ahead of launching Max eventually.”

Georgiou’s comments came after Sky CEO Dana Strong said she was “optimistic” of extending the HBO overall deal with WBD, which provides the pay TV operator with shows including White Lotus, Succession and House Of The Dragon.

WBD is already preparing to launch Max, the rebranded version of HBO Max that launched in the US earlier this year, across Latin America in the coming months, with a broader expansion into 2024.

There has, however, been no confirmation over how or if the streamer will be rolled out into Sky territories such as the UK, Germany or Italy, with HBO content at present tied up as part of the Sky pact.