Buyer Database · Buyer / Distributor · Updated
HBO Max
HBO Max is actively building a slate of long-season original dramas modeled on The Pitt, prioritizing broadcast-trained showrunners and habitual viewing over formulaic volume targets.
Current mandate
HBO Max is in an active development push centered on long-season drama, with The Pitt serving as the internal proof of concept. The series aired in January 2025, earned an Emmy, and is confirmed to return in January 2026. That annual, habitual-viewing model is now the stated template. Recent pilot orders for cop drama American Blue and family drama How To Survive Without Me signal the direction: procedural-friendly, broadcast-structured projects capable of sustaining 15 or more episodes per season.
Over the past 12 months, the platform has logged 653 tracked records and closed acquisitions across multiple territories, including a Cannes Film Market deal for the title "1978" covering HBO Max Latin America, a pickup of the 4x52-minute social drama "Laura's Treatments" for France and Belgium, and domestic pilot orders for American Blue and How To Survive Without Me. The acquisition pattern reflects both international territorial buying and a domestic originals pipeline weighted toward drama with serialized, returnable potential.
Writers and producers can engage HBO Max through representation or by targeting the 255 tracked decision makers across development and acquisitions. The platform has stated it gives itself "as many options as possible in all of the formats" during development, but the clearest current signal is long-season drama with showrunners who have broadcast-style production experience. Unsolicited material is not a documented pathway; established relationships and representation remain the practical route in.
Signature peaks
- 15+ eps Long-Season Drama Push — Target episode count per exec mandate, modeled on The Pitt
- 2 projects Recent Pilot Orders — American Blue (cop drama) and How To Survive Without Me (family drama)
- Multi-region Territory Acquisitions — Recent deals include Latin America (Cannes), France and Belgium (Laura's Treatments)
Mandate dimensions
- Genre focus
- Not disclosed
- Territory focus
- Not disclosed
- Budget tier (observed)
- Not disclosed
- Access pattern
- Representation-first. HBO Max development is relationship-driven, with executives explicitly citing the importance of working with known collaborators who have long-season production experience. The 255 tracked decision makers span development and acquisitions across domestic originals and international territories. Festival markets, particularly Cannes, are an active acquisition channel for territorial rights.
- Deal structure
- All recent acquisitions list budget as not disclosed. Deal structures vary by context: domestic originals proceed via pilot order (American Blue, How To Survive Without Me); international acquisitions are territorial rights deals closed at markets such as Cannes (Latin America for "1978") or direct pickups from broadcasters (Laura's Treatments, 4x52 minutes, France and Belgium). No price indicators are attached to any logged deal in the past 12 months.
Recent acquisitions
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1978
The deals, closed at the Cannes Film Market by Black Mandala’s Co-CEOs Nicolás Onetti and Michael Kraetzer, along with head of sales Catherine Quantschnigg, include HBO Max for Latin America
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American Blue
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Heated Rivalry
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Hotel Coppelia
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How To Survive Without Me (working title)
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Laura's Treatments
HBO Max in France and Belgium...picking up the 4×52′ social drama from France Télévisions
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One Battle After Another
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The Miniature Wife
Market context
"You have to start with, what's a good show, what do we believe in? What is a good script? I think once you set a formula, you get into, well, maybe this isn't great enough, but we need X number of shows, so I try to stay away from any sort of guidelines and let the creative guide."
HBO Max is in an active development push centered on long-season drama, with The Pitt serving as the internal proof of concept. The series aired in January 2025, earned an Emmy, and is confirmed to return in January 2026. That annual, habitual-viewing model is now the stated template. Recent pilot orders for cop drama American Blue and family drama How To Survive Without Me signal the direction: procedural-friendly, broadcast-structured projects capable of sustaining 15 or more episodes per season.
Common questions about HBO Max
Does HBO Max accept unsolicited scripts?
There is no documented unsolicited submissions policy at HBO Max. Executives have emphasized working with people who already know how to generate long-season stories, which implies a relationship-driven development process. The practical pathway for writers without existing HBO relationships is through representation or a producing partner with an established track record at the network. Cold submissions are not a documented route in.
What budgets does HBO Max work with for original dramas?
Budget figures for individual HBO Max original projects are not publicly disclosed in recent coverage. Acquisitions logged in the past 12 months, including American Blue, How To Survive Without Me, and international pickups such as Laura's Treatments, all list budget as not disclosed. HBO Max operates at the premium end of the streaming market, but specific per-episode or per-project figures are not available from sourced reporting.
Does HBO Max acquire projects from film festivals?
Yes. A recent acquisition of the title '1978' was closed at the Cannes Film Market by Black Mandala, with HBO Max taking Latin American rights. Festival and market acquisitions appear to be a component of the international territorial buying strategy, distinct from the domestic originals pipeline. Cannes is a confirmed active market for the acquisitions team, according to sourced deal reporting.
How do you reach HBO Max decision makers?
ScriptMatch tracks 255 HBO Max decision makers across development and acquisitions. Executives have publicly stated a preference for collaborating with writers and showrunners who have demonstrated experience generating long-season material, particularly those with broadcast backgrounds. Representation remains the standard access point. The latest tracked signal on the platform is dated May 2026, indicating ongoing activity across the decision-maker network.
What genres is HBO Max prioritizing right now?
Long-season drama is the clearest current priority, with procedural-friendly formats that can sustain 15 or more episodes per season. Recent pilot orders include a cop drama (American Blue) and a family drama (How To Survive Without Me). International acquisitions have included a social drama (Laura's Treatments, France and Belgium). Executives have stated they avoid setting genre quotas, but the internal model is broadcast-structured, returnable drama with Emmy-level ambitions.
Is HBO Max currently active in acquisitions and development?
Yes. The platform logged 653 tracked records over the past 12 months and recorded one unique deal in the past 90 days. Recent activity includes domestic pilot orders for American Blue and How To Survive Without Me, a Cannes Film Market territorial acquisition for Latin America, and a pickup of the social drama Laura's Treatments for France and Belgium. The latest tracked signal is dated May 28, 2026, confirming ongoing market activity.
Adjacent buyers in this lane
- Electronic Arts — Electronic Arts is navigating a landmark $55 billion take-private transaction while the broader vide
- Canal+ Group — Canal+ Group is deepening its African content infrastructure through strategic equity stakes and co-
- Foxtel — Foxtel is navigating a contracting linear channel portfolio in Australia while commissioning replace
- Highland Film Group — Highland Film Group is actively packaging and launching international sales on prestige survival thr
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