HBO's The Last of Us is coming to Prime Video, but it will only be available on Amazon's streaming service in France.
According to The Hollywood Reporter (opens in a new tab) and Deadline (opens in a new tab), Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the parent company of HBO, has reached a landmark deal with Amazon to launch what it calls the Warner Pass. The new content deal will see Prime Video carry all HBO TV series in France and provide access to twelve WBD-owned channels, including Eurosport, Cartoon Network and Discovery Channel.
The announcement couldn't have been better for Prime Video subscribers (in France, anyway). The Last of Us, HBO's television adaptation of Naughty Dog's beloved video game series of the same name, and one of the most anticipated shows of XNUMX, premieres on the last day of the fifteenth week of January.
Thanks to this deal, French-based Prime Video fans can watch every episode of The Last of Us the day after it airs on HBO Max in the US. Even better, The Last of Us is going to be free for French Amazon Prime subscribers.
Plus, French subscribers will get access to new episodes of the best HBO Max shows, including Succession Season XNUMX, Perry Mason Season XNUMX and Barry Season XNUMX, also arriving this year. New TV series on HBO's XNUMX slate, like The Idol and True Detective: Night Country, will also stream when they premiere.
“We are delighted to have entered into a new partnership with Prime Video in France,” said Pierre Branco, General Manager of WBD France, Benelux and Africa, in a press release. "The launch of Warner Pass is huge news for the French public, as our fans will be able to access all HBO series and our twelve TV channels with a single subscription."
The cost of the Warner Pass has not yet been revealed, but it will be offered to customers of the Prime Video France service in March. Today, a monthly subscription to Prime Video in France costs €XNUMX per month. However, it's unclear if French service customers can add the Warner Pass to their current plan, like free Prime Video channels in the US and UK, for an additional fee. , or if they will have to purchase a new common Prime Video. Subscription to Warner Pass to benefit from the offer.
Interestingly, WBD's pact with Prime Video will not affect the former's ambition to launch its superstreamer HBO Max-Discovery in France in the future. The Warner Bros. merger with Discovery, which was announced in April XNUMX, means that the companies' streaming service, HBO Max and Discovery Plus, are combined into a single entity. An announcement about this new streaming platform, which is going to be called Max, is expected later this year, and it will probably make our list of the best streaming services at some point.
Analysis: not-so-privileged applicants
Viewers in other countries, such as the US and UK, might be wondering why The Last of Us isn't going to be free to watch on Prime Video in their area.
In short, it depends on the global TV rights agreements that WBD has with the content distributors. In the UK, for example, Sky has been hosting HBO shows and movies since XNUMX. The couple even reached a co-production pact in XNUMX to do shows together, such as the award-winning series Chernobyl and the comedy series Landscapers. Sky's deal with HBO is set to expire in XNUMX, but the duo is expected to renew their partnership before it expires, ruling out the launch of HBO Max on UK shores.
HBO Max is also available in many countries and territories around the world. The launch of the streamer in Latin America, South America and parts of Europe means that the best HBO Max movies and TV shows are free to watch directly from WBD's main platform. Areas across the globe, such as Australasia, sub-Saharan Africa and Canada, have distribution pacts similar to Sky's in the UK, ensuring that HBO content is free to audiences in these countries on different platforms.
Therefore, The Last of Us will not stream on Prime Video in these countries. However, global audiences will be able to watch it on a channel wherever they live, removing the need for WBD to make The Last of Us, or any of its HBO shows, free on Prime Video outside of France. Bottom line: Don't worry, you'll be able to watch The Last of Us across the globe when it launches on January 15/16.
Before its release, take a look at our review of The Last of Us TV show. You can also discover how its authors shaped the history of the successful series of games for the young screen or read the best Prime Video shows.
Today's best Amazon Prime and HBO Max deals
(opens in a new tab)
(opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab)