How to watch HBO and HBO Max in Australia

By Anula Wiwatowska

Last updated 11 October 2021

Every now and again, Australians agree on one thing - we need to watch an HBO show, and we need to do it now. The phrase, “watch Game of Thrones” is still searched almost 9,000 times every month.

Clearly, we’re fans of HBO content, from cult favourites like GoT to White Lotus, Mare of Easttown to Westworld and Last Week with John Oliver, so wouldn’t it be convenient if there was one central place to watch your favourites? Well now there is.

In this guide:

HBO on Binge
HBO on Foxtel
HBO on Stan
HBO Max
Other options

HBO on Binge

Streaming service Binge is the cheapest and easiest way to watch HBO in Australia. Starting from just $10 per month you can watch the largest collection of HBO shows legally available on home soil.

The platform is home to over 10,000 hours of movies and TV shows with new content added daily. New Bingers can get a 14 day free trial by clicking on the links below.

	Plan	Inclusions	Price	Details
Binge	Binge Basic Plan	Binge Basic Plan Binge over 25,000 hours of the world's best shows & movies, with ads Watch on 1 device at once, available in HD stream Watch on 1 device Deal: 7-day free trial Min. cost $10 per month	$10/mth Min. cost $10 per month	Link not supplied
Binge	Binge Standard Plan	Binge Standard Plan The world's best shows, thousands of hours of shows and movies Ad-free on Demand Watch on 2 devices at once, available in 4K stream Watch on 2 devices Deal: 7-day free trial Min. cost $19 per month	$19/mth Min. cost $19 per month	Link not supplied
Binge	Binge Premium Plan	Binge Premium Plan The world's best shows, thousands of hours of shows and movies Ad-free on Demand Watch on 4 devices at once, available in 4K stream Watch on 4 devices Deal: 7-day free trial Min. cost $22 per month	$22/mth Min. cost $22 per month	Link not supplied
Binge	Binge Basic Annual Plan	Binge Basic Annual Plan Binge over 25,000 hours of the world's best shows & movies, with ads Watch on 1 device at once, available in HD stream Watch on 1 device Deal: Save 30% with annual subscription Min. cost $79 per year	$79/yr Min. cost $79 per year	Link not supplied
Binge	Binge Standard Annual Plan	Binge Standard Annual Plan The world's best shows, thousands of hours of shows and movies Ad-free on Demand Watch on 2 devices at once, available in 4K stream Watch on 2 devices Deal: Save 30% with annual subscriptions Min. cost $149 per year	$149/yr Min. cost $149 per year	Link not supplied
Binge	Binge Premium Annual Plan	Binge Premium Annual Plan The world's best shows, thousands of hours of shows and movies Ad-free on Demand Watch on 4 devices at once, available in 4K stream Watch on 4 devices Deal: Save 30% with annual subscriptions Min. cost $179 per year	$179/yr Min. cost $179 per year	Link not supplied

HBO on Foxtel

Dubbed “the Home of HBO” in 2016, Foxtel continues to have access to a huge range of HBO’s library. For now, the easiest way to access HBO in Australia is through your Foxtel account.

Access to HBO content through Foxtel starts at $49 per month, on a 12-month plan. Using Foxtel Plus, which is the Pay TV provider’s current online library, you can watch a range of new and classic content such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Westworld and The Sopranos. The content is also available on a range of other Foxtel bundles priced between $59 and $99 per month.

Alternatively, you can sign-up for Foxtel Now, the service's streaming offering. The service starts at $25 per month, and includes access to a whole heap of HBO content.

It is worth noting that Foxtel and Binge are owned by the same organisation, but that doesn't mean that they both have the exact same libraries. Some content is available on both, some on just one, others are released at different times on the different platforms.

Pssst, keen on Binge? Here's everything you need to know

We've left no stone unturned when it comes to Binge. View our guide.

HBO on Stan

Deadwood is currently the only major HBO series available on Stan.

However, Stan lucked out and snapped up two HBO Max originals as part of a studio deal with Paramount: Made for Love and Station Eleven. While these shows are set to stream on HBO Max, these shows are not made by HBO itself.

Stan subscriptions start from $10 per month.

HBO Max Australia

At present, HBO Max original content in Australia is split between Binge, Foxtel, and Stan. We're expecting to see Binge and Foxtel get the majority of HBO Max exclusive shows locally, for the time being. While HBO Max has seen a number of movies hit the service the same day as cinemas in the US - such as Wonder Woman 1984 - due to the ongoing pandemic, this approach has not been replicated in Australia.

For those not familiar with the service, HBO Max is the prestige brand's own streaming service. On January 28, HBO registered a trademark in Australia, which is a strong indicator that it is seriously considering an Australian version of the service. Although, whether the service will indeed grace Aussie viewers is yet to be seen.

Foxtel and streaming service Stan (owned by Nine Entertainment Co) were battling for the rights to air HBO content in Australia, with Foxtel gaining the rights early in May 2020. Both services currently have access to some HBO shows, but Foxtel's original deal was set to expire in two years.

As reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, if the entertainment company got a big enough offer from a local service, it may be enough to dissuade HBO Max from launching in Australia.

When Foxtel won the rights, it cost them about 2.5 times more the previous arrangement, which means the pay TV company will pay upwards of $200 million per year for the privilege of housing HBO.

As part of the agreement, Foxtel will be the exclusive licensee for Warner Bros produced and distributed original content made for HBO Max. As such, we're not expecting to see HBO Max in Australia any time soon but it may grace us with it's presence through Foxtel.

If you're adamant about getting that sweet HBO Max content, then you can read this handy guide from Reviews.org/au.

Other ways to watch

While Foxtel is still the provider of choice for HBO in Australia there are still other ways to tune in.

Many of the studio's shows are available to buy online using Google Play or iTunes, or if you're interested in the classics you might be able to nab a DVD or Blu-Ray online.