IT’S BEEN A long wait, but HBO Max has finally landed in Ireland. 

The US streaming service, which features content from HBO as well as Warner Bros and DC Studios, launched here and in the UK today. 

The service will be available directly through HBO, as well as via its launch partner Sky.

In terms of content on offer, there’s plenty to choose from. 

Until now, Irish viewers were unable to watch the acclaimed medical drama The Pitt. The show, which follows a team of healthcare staff at a hospital in Pittsburgh, came out in January last year and has won rave reviews from critics and viewers since. 

The entirety of season one can now be seen on HBO Max. The first two episodes of the new second season are also out today, with the rest set to air weekly. 

Other programmes available on the platform include the new seasons of teen drama Euphoria and Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon.

A new Harry Potter reboot is also coming to HBO Max. The eight-episode first season of the upcoming series will debut at Christmas.

A range of other HBO shows will also be available to watch on the platform, including The Sopranos, Friends, The Wire, Succession, Game of Thrones and Sex and the City. 

Film fans will be able to stream two of this year’s Oscar-winning titles, One Battle After Another and Sinners, as well as movies like Superman, A Minecraft Movie and Dune: Part One.

HBO Max will also be home to the entire Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises. 

How can I watch HBO Max? 

There are two options: sign up directly through HBO, or through your package if you are an existing Sky customer. 

For those who want to go the direct route, the streaming service offers four plans, starting at €5.99 and rising to €15.99 a month.

The basic service with ads, priced at €5.99, offers streaming on two devices at once though not all movies are included. 

A standard service with ads offers streaming on two devices at once and 30 downloads for €6.99 per month. It will cost you €10.99 per month for this same package, but without the ads. 

The premium service, costing €15.99 per month, allows streaming on four devices at once and 100 downloads.

For Sky customers, the basic ‘with ads’ service will be available to those with Sky Ultimate, Sky Stream, Sky Glass and Sky Q packages as part of their existing subscription – but they’ll have to pay more if they want to watch without ads.

In February, Sky confirmed that it was launching a new service offering its own content alongside Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and reality TV streamer Hayu in one subscription which will cost new customers €28 per month for twelve months.

If you are an existing Sky customer with a package like Sky Ultimate you will continue paying the cost of your current plan until the end of your current contract.