Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has appointed Nine as the exclusive Australian sales partner for its Max streaming service, ahead of the platform's local launch on 31 March.

It is thought to follow a competitive tender process, with the announcement ending speculation that Foxtel Media might take on WBD's sales representation at the end of its long-running broadcast deal that had, until recently, made Foxtel the local home of WBD’s premium slate of content. That slate includes HBO and Max Originals such as The Last of Us, The White Lotus and House of Dragon, as well as hit Warner Bros. films and real-life content from Discovery, HGTV, and ID.

The new deal will see sales team at Nine focus on the ad-supported Basic With Ads tier of Max, which will integrated into Nine's digital video proposition and represented by Nine Sales across Australia. The partnership with WBD is expected to enhance Nine's audience scale across Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) and Broadcast Video On Demand (BVOD) categories, complementing its existing platforms, 9Now and Stan Sport.

WBD’s General Manager for Australia and New Zealand, Michael Brooks, said: "This is the first time WBD’s premium slate of content has existed in one place in Australia. Launching Max with an ad-supported tier creates a compelling offer for viewers and advertisers alike, while partnering with Nine allows us to tap into their deep experience, strong relationships and proven capabilities."

Nine's premium revenue strategy will be driven by its Powered division, while the Centre of Digital Excellence will underpin the sales strategy. This collaboration aims to provide innovative and streamlined ad solutions for agencies and clients across SVOD and BVOD platforms.

Nine's Acting Chief Sales Officer, Matt James, said: "The combination of Max’s amazing content and world-leading advertising products with Nine’s local expertise, sales infrastructure and scale is a unique opportunity for clients in this country. This relationship with WBD will accelerate our strategy into the digital video market and offer clients better return on investment."