HBO Max has taken the primary steps in the direction of an India launch, with WarnerMedia asserting Friday that it has appointed Disney veteran govt Amit Malhotra because the managing director for HBO Max in Southeast Asia and India. Malhotra is now chargeable for HBO Go that’s at present obtainable in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam — HBO Go will probably be upgraded to HBO Max in these territories. Malhotra may also assist WarnerMedia discover a “potential future launch” in India, the American large stated in its announcement.
Currently, HBO Max has no direct-to-consumer presence in India. While sister unit HBO — it shares the identify however is a separate entity — has a deal in place with Disney+ Hotstar, HBO Max has largely not bothered to carry its content material to the South Asian market. The solely main exceptions are Justice League Snyder Cut (which was provided through video-on-demand companies equivalent to Apple TV, BookMyShow Stream, and Google Play Movies), and Friends: The Reunion (that was bought to probably the most unlikely of candidates in Zee5). Outside of that, there are a couple of HBO Max films on video-on-demand.
“I am delighted to be part of the incredible team at WarnerMedia in Asia as we look at bringing HBO Max to this region,” Malhotra stated in a ready assertion. “WarnerMedia’s brands including DC Universe, HBO and Cartoon Network are extremely popular with passionate fans and audiences across this region. With a focus on consumers our goal will be to bring all of these brands and content together in an exciting new world class streaming experience as we move into the future with HBO Max.”
Malhotra spent 17 years at Disney previous to this, beginning off as a gross sales director in Mumbai. He moved to Hong Kong in 2007 and served because the VP of program distribution for the APAC area. Since early 2012, Malhotra has been established out of Singapore — additionally the APAC house for WarnerMedia — the place he has labored in content material gross sales and distribution for South APAC and the Middle East, earlier than elevating to grow to be the nation head for Singapore and Malaysia. Most just lately, Malhotra was the regional lead for Disney+ in Southeast Asia and helped launch the streaming companies Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar, and Hotstar. Now, he will probably be doing the identical factor for its rival WarnerMedia.
Johannes Larcher, worldwide chief for HBO Max, added: “With our upcoming launch across Latin America on June 29 and our plans for Europe on the horizon, we turn our sights toward Asia, where we have an incredible opportunity to bring HBO Max to millions of new fans who are just as excited about streaming as our audiences in the U.S. Amit’s experience launching streaming services in both mature and emerging markets across Southeast Asia and the surrounding region make him the ideal leader to plan and oversee the rollout of HBO Max and its expanded content offering and platform experience.”
HBO Max launched completely within the US final May — it has 40.6 million paid subscribers there since — and can start its first main growth later in June in 39 territories throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Later in 2021, HBO’s current streaming companies in Europe will probably be upgraded to HBO Max, a course of that may replicate itself later in Southeast Asia. The wording for HBO Max’s India launch — “exploring possible opportunities” for a “potential future launch” — suggests we would nonetheless be a way off earlier than it arrives right here.
