Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service HBO Max will not be launching in Turkey this fall as was previously scheduled despite having obtained a license from the country’s media broadcasting watchdog, local media reported on Tuesday, citing a company statement to Turkish technology portal WebTekno.
The Turkey communications agency for Warner Bros. Discovery told WebTekno that contrary to rumors recently reported by the Turkish media, they currently have no plans to launch HBO Max in Turkey.
Stating that they had decided to merge the HBO Max streaming service with Discovery+ as a single offering in 2023, the agency said the new service would be available in Europe as of 2024 and would first launch in markets where HBO Max is already available.
Although the platform announced in July it had stopped the production of original shows in Turkey and a few European countries due to a major restructuring, rumors that it would launch in Turkey by the end of 2022 resurfaced after an announcement by Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) chair Ebubekir Şahin.
Şahin said in a tweet over the weekend that HBO Max’s application for a license to stream in Turkey had been approved.
“Our support for every organization that abides by the laws of our country and respects our social values continues today as it did yesterday,” he added.
Şahin’s announcement confused viewers in Turkey since HBO Max had made its license application long ago and had already canceled its plans to enter the country by the time it was approved.