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HBO Max
HBO Max is actively building a long-season original drama slate modeled on The Pitt, while continuing to acquire international titles across Latin America, Europe, and beyond.
Current mandate
HBO Max is currently prioritizing original dramas built for long-season runs of 15 or more episodes, a strategic pivot informed by the performance of The Pitt, which aired in January 2025 and is returning in January 2026. The platform has handed pilot orders to cop drama American Blue and family drama How To Survive Without Me, signaling a clear appetite for broadcast-style procedural concepts capable of sustaining habitual, annual viewing. Executives are deliberately seeking showrunners trained in high-volume production, a skill set they describe as increasingly rare after a decade-plus of prestige limited series. On the acquisition side, HBO Max has been active across multiple territories, picking up titles including the 4x52-minute social drama Laura's Treatments for France and Belgium, and closing deals at the Cannes Film Market for Latin America. A separate seeking statement from the platform calls out distinctive, locally authentic Spanish scripted projects with global crossover potential.
Over the past 12 months, HBO Max has logged 660 total tracked records and engaged 294 decision makers, reflecting a broad and active development and acquisitions operation. The pattern across that period shows a platform balancing prestige HBO-branded originals with a growing international acquisitions footprint, acquiring titles such as Hotel Coppelia, Heated Rivalry, One Battle After Another, and The Miniature Wife across various windows. The platform's creative leadership has been explicit that format diversity, including long-season drama, limited series, and international acquisitions, is intentional, with the goal of maximizing development options rather than hitting predetermined genre quotas.
Access to HBO Max for original commissions is rep-driven. The platform works with established production companies and representation. Writers and producers without existing relationships at the network are advised to approach through literary management or a producing partner with a prior HBO Max credit. International acquisitions have moved through market channels, including direct deals at Cannes, suggesting that sales agents with territorial rights are a viable point of entry for finished or near-finished content.
Signature peaks
- 2 Recent Pilot Orders Issued — American Blue (cop drama) and How To Survive Without Me (family drama) both received pilot orders, per recent reporting
- 15+ Episodes Long-Season Drama Target — Executives are actively developing dramas with broadcast-trained showrunners capable of delivering 15-plus episode seasons
- Multi-Territory International Acquisitions — Recent deals span Latin America (Cannes market), France, Belgium, and additional undisclosed territories across the 12-month window
Mandate dimensions
- Genre focus
- sports documentary
- Territory focus
- United States
- Budget tier (observed)
- Not disclosed
- Access pattern
- HBO Max operates on a rep-driven access model for original commissions. Literary managers and agents with established relationships at the network are the standard pathway for domestic pitches. The platform's creative leadership has emphasized working with people who already know how to generate stories at scale, making prior credits and industry relationships a practical prerequisite. For international content, sales agents have successfully closed acquisition deals through market channels, including direct deals at the Cannes Film Market. Cold outreach is not a documented entry point for either domestic or international projects.
- Deal structure
- All recent acquisitions, including American Blue, How To Survive Without Me, Laura's Treatments, Hotel Coppelia, Heated Rivalry, One Battle After Another, and The Miniature Wife, were closed without disclosed financial terms. International deals have been structured on a territorial basis, with separate agreements covering Latin America, France, Belgium, and other regions. Pilot orders represent the primary domestic commission structure currently in use. No per-episode or series budget ranges have been confirmed in available sourcing.
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 currently prioritizing original dramas built for long-season runs of 15 or more episodes, a strategic pivot informed by the performance of The Pitt, which aired in January 2025 and is returning in January 2026. The platform has handed pilot orders to cop drama American Blue and family drama How To Survive Without Me, signaling a clear appetite for broadcast-style procedural concepts capable of sustaining habitual, annual viewing. Executives are deliberately seeking showrunners trained in high-volume production, a skill set they describe as increasingly rare after a decade-plus of prestige limited series. On the acquisition side, HBO Max has been active across multiple territories, picking up titles including the 4x52-minute social drama Laura's Treatments for France and Belgium, and closing deals at the Cannes Film Market for Latin America. A separate seeking statement from the platform calls out distinctive, locally authentic Spanish scripted projects with global crossover potential.
Common questions about HBO Max
Does HBO Max accept unsolicited scripts or pitches?
HBO Max does not have a publicized open-door policy for unsolicited material. The platform's creative leadership emphasizes working with established creators and people who know how to generate stories at scale. In practice, access to the development slate is rep-driven. Writers without existing relationships at the network are advised to approach through literary management or a producing partner with a prior HBO Max credit. Finished international content has moved through market channels, including sales agents at events such as the Cannes Film Market.
How does HBO Max commission original series?
HBO Max commissions originals through a development process that begins with script quality and creative fit rather than predetermined genre or volume targets. Executives have stated they try to avoid setting formulas and instead let the creative guide decisions. The platform is currently prioritizing long-season dramas of 15 or more episodes, modeled on The Pitt, and is actively seeking showrunners with broadcast-style production experience. Pilot orders, such as those recently issued for American Blue and How To Survive Without Me, represent a key step in that pipeline.
What are HBO Max's current content budgets?
HBO Max has not publicly disclosed per-project budget figures for its current development slate. Recent acquisitions, including Laura's Treatments, American Blue, How To Survive Without Me, and several international titles, were all reported without disclosed financial terms. The platform's parent company operates at significant scale, but no per-title or per-season budget ranges have been confirmed in available sourcing. Writers and producers should expect budget discussions to occur in negotiation rather than being publicly benchmarked.
What kind of content is HBO Max buying right now?
HBO Max is currently focused on long-season original dramas capable of sustaining 15 or more episodes per year, with a particular interest in procedural-friendly formats that can drive habitual, annual viewing. The platform has also issued a specific call for distinctive, locally authentic Spanish scripted projects with global crossover potential. On the acquisitions side, recent pickups span social drama (Laura's Treatments, France/Belgium), Latin American titles closed at Cannes, and several additional projects across genres. Broadcast-trained showrunners are described as a strategic asset in the current environment.
How do I reach HBO Max development executives?
HBO Max development is accessed primarily through representation. Literary managers and agents with existing relationships at the network are the standard point of entry for original pitches and commissions. For international finished or near-finished content, sales agents have successfully closed deals through market channels, including direct acquisitions at the Cannes Film Market. The platform tracks 294 decision makers according to recent data, suggesting a sizable internal team, but cold outreach is not a documented pathway for either domestic or international projects.
Is HBO Max actively buying and developing in 2025 and 2026?
Yes. HBO Max logged 660 total tracked records over the past 12 months and has 294 decision makers active in the system, indicating a broad and ongoing operation. Recent pilot orders for American Blue and How To Survive Without Me confirm active domestic development. International acquisitions have continued into 2026, with Laura's Treatments picked up for France and Belgium as recently as March 2026, and additional titles including Heated Rivalry and The Miniature Wife acquired in early 2026. The latest tracked signal is dated July 2026.
Adjacent buyers in this lane
- Netflix — Netflix is aggressively expanding its content footprint through a pending $82.7 billion acquisition
- Hbo — HBO is actively commissioning prestige drama and comedy specials while greenlighting franchise exten
- Apple TV+ — Apple TV+ is actively expanding its prestige slate with thriller commissions, live sports rights, an
- Hulu — Hulu is actively greenlighting and acquiring across documentary, reality, comedy revival, and live-T
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