This year, Max hit an incredible milestone with its debut in Asia, introducing viewers to a world of unforgettable stories. From the sharp drama of The White Lotus to the gritty edge of The Penguin and the emotional power of The Last of Us, Max continues to define what it means to Watch Better.

Many extraordinary and innovative individuals made this launch possible. We spoke with four team members involved to hear about the journey of bringing this groundbreaking service to audiences in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Question: First, can you introduce yourself to our readers? What do you do at WBD, and can you share more on your involvement with the Max launch?

Saira: I lead Product Management for our Asia Pacific region. For the Max launch, my team and I have been responsible for designing a locally relevant user experience, ensuring that it aligns with the business drivers and then of course making sure we deliver a smooth product for users to enjoy!

Sam: I lead Social and Digital Marketing in the Integrated Marketing team, where my team and I manage all social handles in Southeast Asia across Direct to Consumer (DTC), and yes, that includes our recently launched Max local handles (we could not be more proud!), and the iconic brands and franchises in the region (including DC Asia, Cartoon Network Asia, Discovery Channel SEA, TLC SEA and more). For Max, we are working closely with internal teams to bring the brand to life through our owned and operated handles, as well as amplification through influencers and community groups.

Praveen: I lead Subscriber Growth and Retention in Asia Pacific, as part of our Growth Marketing team. We manage all aspects of the consumer journey both on & off-platform. This includes reaching out to interested audiences, getting them to subscribe and keeping them engaged with the platform. We also look after pricing strategy with the aim of maximizing the value exchange with our customers. For Max launch, we were the team behind strategizing marketing investments, informing existing subscribers of account migration and also raising visibility of Max to new audiences.

Aditya: I lead Content Strategy and analysis for Max in APAC, which means my team is responsible for curating the content offering for the service. For Max’s launch, we have been working closely with our content, scheduling, merchandising and finance teams to bring the best possible content line-up for our subscribers and fans in the region – while keeping in mind the company’s overall strategy and objectives.

Q: Can you share a little bit more about your time in WBD and how you’ve found yourself in this role?

Saira: I’ve been with the company for 10+ years and have been a part of the DTC product launches across entertainment and sports globally. Before WBD, I worked in Management Consulting and a Tech start up prior to that.

Sam: I’ve been at WBD for just over 3 years, starting out with the Kids & Family portfolio, adding on Factual and Lifestyle in 2022, and most recently, DTC marketing in 2023 with HBO GO. Prior to WBD, I had the privilege of working across multiple facets of marketing – from concerts and events to brand and partnership marketing. So, when the opportunity came up, deep diving into social and digital marketing made perfect sense.

Praveen: I have been with WBD for over 7 years, starting in the Business Strategy team which landed me in the thick of action when it came to digital transformation. I embraced the change and have been fortunate enough to work across a wide spectrum of roles in our streaming business ranging from Strategy, Finance, Business Development, Analytics, Revenue and Growth Marketing.

Aditya: I have been at WBD for just over 2 years, having spent most of my career in management consulting. I have been hugely passionate about the media and entertainment industry for over a decade and have had a variety of experiences, be it serving clients in the space or directly spending time at up-and-coming media startups. This role was the perfect fit and timing, so I am very happy to be here.

Q: What about the Max launch in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong were you most excited about?

Saira: I’m most excited about customers in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong experiencing and interacting with the Max product and giving us their feedback. We have worked hard on a host of latest features and functionalities for the customers to enjoy their favorite content in a truly personalized way on multiple devices.

Sam: There’s so much to be excited about! Max is an amazing product, and for us to finally bring this experience to fans, coupled with our powerhouse suite of content, there’s a lot to look forward to!

Praveen: Max is home to almost every major piece of content I have loved watching over the years. Just to be able to work for a product that houses all this and be able to share that with our audiences is an absolute privilege. It's what gets you out of bed every morning.

Aditya: I am honestly just so excited to bring Max to our audiences in APAC – I truly believe we have the best content in the business, and I can’t wait for existing and new audiences to finally explore that to the fullest. We have a great product with tons of personalization, to make the overall experience even better.

Q: How did you collaborate with teams and stakeholders across the region to ensure the success of the Max launch?

Saira: This is one of the best parts about launching Max! We have a global team spread across Asia Pacific as well as around the world. We have clear processes and operating mechanisms to ensure we are maximizing time zones as well as tapping into the expertise of our teams in each region.

Sam: Working with cross-functional teams is critical to the work that we do on social. Apart from working with other marketing functions to ensure our fans have a meaningful full-funnel experience, we also partner closely with teams across PR, CX, Product, Programming, Merchandising and more to ensure hyper-local consistencies. As a global brand, our international stakeholders have been instrumental in sharing learnings and guiding us as we bring Max to Asia.

Praveen: An undertaking of the scale of a Max launch is truly massive. For a region as diverse as ours you need every possible resource to do justice to the amazing product that Max is. Working closely with our local, regional and global partners has been extremely crucial for our success.

Aditya: Collaboration is 100% key to launching and operating a successful streaming service. At WBD, we are able to maximize the value of being a global company – while staying locally relevant. We are fully in sync at every step of the way and therefore able to deal with challenges quickly and effectively – leveraging the experiences of our international colleagues as well.

Q: Could you share any highlights of key moments you’ve experienced with creating/preparing this Max launch?

Saira: Building a new product is always exciting, seeing strategy through from ideation all the way to execution and the consumers using our products and consuming our content. This has been no different, building some of the unique product features catered to our local customers has been tremendously rewarding. All the team workshops, huddles, and round-the-clock problem solving have created something very exciting!

Sam: One highlight has been the excitement we’ve seen around Max coming to Asia, whether with partners and influencers we are working with, or the comments from fans on our owned and operated handles and within community groups. It has been inspiring and encouraging to be a part of something so groundbreaking.

Praveen: I have absolutely loved the whole journey over the last couple of years we have been working on bringing Max to life in APAC. It's a career worth of learnings packed in a super short time frame. It’s truly “the stuff that dreams are made of”.

Aditya: The highlight for me would be seeing the first concept pitches for our launch announcement promos – that made everything feel real, and brought to life what we are hoping to achieve with Max. It’s also great to read comments online and hear from customers firsthand about how they are looking forward to Max.

Q: What are some of the key traits that make someone successful and allow someone to thrive in a place like WBD?

Saira: Openness to change (things are ever changing in the media landscape and WBD is no exception); Bringing your true self to work (we have a plethora of cultures and truly act as One Team); and a high bar for quality (someone who is curious, constantly looking for improvements and has a high sense of ownership).

Sam: Resilience, adaptability and strong communication skills are some of the key traits that I believe are important to thrive in WBD. With the ever-changing media landscape, it is important that we remain nimble and stay motivated with the curveballs thrown our way. With multiple lines of business and stakeholders, strong communication is also very key to WBD’s #OneTeam approach.

Praveen: We work in an extremely dynamic industry undergoing major transformation. However, at the core of it we are still storytellers. As long as one can embrace that idea, put themselves in customer’s shoes, it's going to be a breeze. We believe in being highly self-driven and accountable.

Aditya: I think the most important trait is being flexible and adaptable. Our industry is constantly changing and requires us to be extremely nimble. In the words of Ross from Friends, you must be ready to “PIVOT” without losing sight of our end goals – which is to deliver world class content and experiences to our customers.

Q: Finally, what show are you most looking forward to catching on Max, and why?

Saira: I’m eagerly waiting for the new season of The White Lotus. No spoilers but I don’t know how they can top that boat scene!

Sam: There are too many to choose from! I'm excited that we finally have our iconic classics like Friends and The Big Bang Theory back “home”, and as for new shows, Season 3 of The White Lotus, of course! It has such a unique plot line, and I can’t wait to see how the mystery unfolds in my own personal favorite Southeast Asia travel destination, Thailand.

Praveen: I am so excited for the next season of The Last of Us. It’s one of the best shows I have seen in the last couple of years. The new HBO Original Dune: Prophecy is another show I am enjoying right now.

Aditya: Seeing the world of The White Lotus being brought to Asia (with the new season being set in Thailand) will be special, and difficult to beat. Beyond that, I am absolutely loving Dune: Prophecy, and the new DC animated series Creature Commandos, which officially kicks off the new DC Universe. I have also just started watching The Penguin and am obsessed – if you enjoy crime dramas, then this one is for you.