Catching HBO exclusives can be a little tricky here in Australia, especially if you don’t know where to look or what to search for. Before dropping 'HBO' from the HBO Max name, leaving just Max (a lovely name), US audiences had it super easy. Just a quick search would bring up the 'HBO Max' streaming service, subscribe and voila – every awesome HBO show is a click away. Since HBO Max is yet to hit our shores, and doesn't seem to be coming any time soon, Aussies don't have that luxury.
Don't worry. You don't have to starve yourself of HBO's incredible suite of shows until Foxtel's contract with HBO dies and hope Max floats Down Under. And no, you don't have to resort to piracy. There are a few alternative options that provide access to the latest and greatest of HBO directly to your TV.
With recent global hits like Quiet on Set: the Dark Side of Kids TV, Succession, The White Lotus and the completion of Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Last of Us season 2 not coming soon enough and Ren Faire and the second season of House of the Dragon landing this week, even without HBO Max, we don't have to miss out. Both Binge and Foxtel Now offer local audiences fast-tracked viewing so you can stay up to date on all of HBO's the best tv shows in Australia.
Would you rather watch your favourite HBO shows directly through Max? You'll have to jump through a few more hoops, but it's not impossible with the use of a VPN.
If you want to watch all the latest and greatest HBO TV shows here in Australia, we’ve got you covered with all the information on how you can enjoy the latest HBO series directly on your TV without having to leave your couch.
How to watch HBO Max shows in Australia
It might be a while until Aussies have direct access to Max, but if you can’t wait, Binge is here for you. The Aussie home of HBO, Binge gives Australian audiences the chance to easily catch exclusive HBO shows without bending over backwards to get a VPN to work.
All the most popular HBO shows are available through Binge. You've got classics like The Sopranos, The Wire, Band of Brothers, Entourage, True Blood and Game of Thrones as well as modern hits like Euphoria, Westworld, The Sympathizer, The Idol, Mare of Easttown, Barry and many more big titles direct from the US.
Even with that incredible offering, Binge isn't a perfect one for one compared to HBO Max. Max offers its US audiences day-one blockbuster titles, like Zach Snyder's Justice League, while Binge only rarely gets the same treatment. With two of the few outliers being Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi and Megan Park’s The Fallout.
One key plus to Binge, though, is that it isn't HBO-exclusive. Offering locally created shows such as Colin from Accounts, whose second season recently premiered, and picking up exclusives from other US providers such as FX, MTV and AMC, Binge has a big catalogue on offer that more-than justify its higher-end cost and make it one of Australia's best streaming services.
HBO on Foxtel
If you'd rather not add yet another streaming service to your monthly bank statement, as an alternative to Binge, Foxtel subscribers also have fast-tracked access to HBO Max's TV shows as they air, via traditional pay TV subscription.
If you want to watch HBO shows, aren't already a subscriber to regular ol' Foxtel and more subscription services isn't a problem, Foxtel has a streaming service too. Foxtel Now is certainly more expensive than Binge. However, you can snag a 10-day free trial and you can currently subscribe to Foxtel Now's 'All packs' tier for only AU$59, down from AU$104.
Thankfully, HBO's content is part of Foxtel Now's Essentials + Drama tier that is only AU$35p/m, meaning you won't have to pay for extra add-ons in order to watch HBO Max's TV shows on the service.
How to watch HBO Max in Australia via VPN
Seeing as HBO Max is only available in the US for the time being, you'll need to subscribe to a VPN service (or set one up yourself) if you're committed to accessing it Down Under.
Using a VPN service to change your IP address and access US servers will allow Aussies to stream HBO Max. However, signing up to the streaming service and making payments to it is another matter entirely.
The crux of the issue is that HBO Max will only accept US-based credit cards, making your standard Australian credit or debit card useless.
Luckily, there are ways to get around this – services such as StatesCard allow you to create a virtual prepaid card with a US address that can be topped up through PayPal.
That said, you will have to pay an additional fee to your chosen virtual card service, on top of the price of your VPN service. If watching HBO Max TV shows is the impetus for your VPN subscription, it's hard to recommend spending so much just to subscribe, with Binge being the much better option for Australians. However, if you already have a VPN service, it might be worth it.
To access Binge right now, simply select one of the signup options below.
