#Warner Bros. Discovery, Sky Renew Content Distribution Deal for New Zealand

Warner Bros. Discovery has extended its content distribution relationship with Sky for the New Zealand market, making the Comcast-owned broadcaster and telecom company the continued home of HBO, Max, Warner Bros. and Discovery programming for New Zealand viewers.

The partners described the pact as a “multi-year” agreement, but WBD also made clear that the deal does not preclude it from launching the Max streaming service in New Zealand. Financial details were not disclosed.

The launch of Max in the mature, English-speaking markets of Australia and New Zealand has long been anticipated. The Sky deal is similar to an agreement that WBD inked in Australia with Foxtel earlier this year.

“The deal provides optionality for the future launch of Max in New Zealand, including a provision to retail Max on Sky platforms,” WDB said in a statement Friday. “We have no specific details for the New Zealand launch at this stage.”

James Gibbons, WBD’s president and md of Western Pacific, said: “This agreement further deepens Warner Bros. Discovery’s historic partnership with Sky, which has seen great success and growth over the years. As we look to build scale across our diverse portfolio locally, we look forward to continuing to work with Sky as a key partner in bringing Kiwis our world-class storytelling, brands and franchises.”

Added Sky chief executive Sophie Moloney: “This renewed deal reflects the long-standing partnership between Sky and Warner Bros. Discovery, and the continued commitment of both companies to bringing Kiwis premium content and brands. Sky’s focus is ensuring audiences have access to the content they love in ways that work best for them. With that in mind, we’re thrilled that this new deal also has optionality at its core, giving us the flexibility to continue entertaining audiences across multiple platforms in the years ahead.”