Fetch TV integrates HBO Max and expands Warner Bros. Discovery partnership

The integration solidifies Fetch’s transition from a hardware provider to a comprehensive software aggregator in the competitive Australian market. By securing HBO Max, Fetch prevents subscriber churn to direct competitors like Foxtel's Hubbl, which also carries the service. For WBD, this second major carriage deal—following its launch with Foxtel in March 2025—maximizes its reach across Australia's primary retail and telco-driven hardware ecosystems. Use of the 'HBO Max' branding in June 2026 also confirms WBD’s regional strategy to maintain the HBO prefix despite the 'Max' rebranding used in other global markets. Watch for Fetch’s Q3 2026 engagement data to see if the addition of blockbuster originals like 'House of the Dragon' lifts hardware sales.

The expansion follows a period of consolidation for Fetch TV, which has been 51.4% owned by Telstra since August 2022. Following a $50 million investment, Telstra officially phased out its Roku-based Telstra TV product in October 2024, migrating approximately 800,000 active users to the Fetch platform. This transition established Fetch as the primary entertainment hub for Australia's largest telecommunications provider, though it faced retail headwinds when Harvey Norman discontinued stocking Fetch hardware in late 2024 in favor of Foxtel’s Hubbl device, per ChannelNews (December 2025).

HBO Max’s arrival on Fetch completes WBD’s dual-track distribution strategy in Australia initiated during the service's local launch on March 31, 2025. Initially, WBD content was licensed almost exclusively to Foxtel and its streaming arm, Binge. However, upon the launch of the standalone Max app, Binge lost rights to several prestige titles. To mitigate impact, Foxtel secured a partnership allowing its residential subscribers to access the new app at no extra cost, according to Advanced Television (February 2025). The Australian rollout has been cited by WBD CEO David Zaslav as a model for European expansion into the UK, Germany, and Italy planned for early 2026, per Mediaweek (August 2025).

Despite the competitive landscape, Fetch continues to report strong engagement. In April 2025, the company launched a major user interface overhaul designed to enhance AI-driven curation and search across its nearly 2 million unique users, per Mi3 Australia. The platform typically records over four hours of daily engagement per household, a metric Fetch aims to leverage as it targets a goal of 3 million users by 2030.