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HBO

Country	Singapore
Broadcast area	Southeast Asia Bangladesh China Fiji Hong Kong Japan Macau Nepal Palau Papua New Guinea South Korea Sri Lanka Taiwan Tuvalu
Network	HBO
Headquarters	151 Lorong Chuan, New Technology Park 04-05, Serangoon Gardens, Singapore
Programming
Language(s)	English Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese) Japanese Korean Malay Filipino Indonesian Thai Vietnamese
Picture format	1080i HDTV
Ownership
Parent	Home Box Office, Inc.
History
Launched	1 May 1992; 32 years ago (1992-05-01)
Replaced	Red by HBO (SatLite Only, Philippines)
Former names	MovieVision (1992–1995)
Links
Website	Official website (Archive)

HBO Asia is the Asian division of HBO, based out of Singapore. It was originally launched on 1 May 1992 as MovieVision, later rebranding on 1 June 1995 to its current name after being purchased by Home Box Office, Inc. The Singapore-based broadcast network offers channels and services with no advertisements– HBO, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Hits and Cinemax – as well as HBO Go and HBO on Demand. They became the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst in Asia.

HBO was the first American television network to set up its bases in Singapore in 1992, with its 20,000 square feet (1,900 m) production facility based at New Tech Park in Lorong Chuan.

HBO signed an agreement with Singapore Telecom in June 1992 in order to deliver its output to Singapore CableVision's MovieVision channel, as well as other broadcasters in the region.

HBO Asia began 24-hour broadcasts on 1 March 1994 to cater to travelers who visit hotels. It also increased the number of programmes to 70 a month.

HBO Asia was originally a joint venture between Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures. On 16 January 2008 Sony and NBC sold their stakes to WarnerMedia (now Warner Bros. Discovery).

Programming

HBO Asia has licensing deals with the "Big Five" of Hollywood conglomerate film studios:

• Warner Bros. Discovery (Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, HBO Films, Castle Rock Entertainment)
• Paramount Global (Paramount Pictures, Miramax)
• NBCUniversal (Universal Pictures, Focus Features)
• Sony Pictures (Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, Stage 6 Films)
• Lionsgate Films (Summit Entertainment)
• Independent Film Productions such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Regency Enterprises, STX Entertainment, Millennium Media, Highland Film Group, AGC Studios and A24, among many others.

HBO Central is a monthly program giving information about which movies and series will be shown in the coming month.

New seasons of HBO's Original Series or Original Productions air on Sunday nights/Monday mornings.

Original programming

HBO also aired their Original Series or Original Films from Asian creators which aired on Sunday nights. Some other Asian original title may also simultaneously release in other platform, for example Catchplay, which has co-produce some HBO Asian titles.

This television-related list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2021)

TV series

Drama

Comedy

Unscripted

Co-productions

These shows have been commissioned by HBO Asia with a partner network.

Films

Censorship

HBO Asia was heavily censored in some Asian countries, with many series such as Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Entourage, The Wire, Hung, Girls, True Blood, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, True Detective, Westworld, Insecure, Big Little Lies, The Deuce, Succession, Euphoria, I May Destroy You, Perry Mason, Lovecraft Country, Industry, The White Lotus, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, and The Idol aired in edited versions; with certain programmes are not shown in some territories.

Typically, movies showcasing gestures like the middle finger, nudity, intense intimacy and profanity are edited out. Scenes revealing attire or exposed skin near private areas are commonly censored, especially in predominantly Muslim regions of Southeast Asia (excluding Vietnam). Additionally, depictions of alcohol or pork are often blurred as they are considered haram in Islam.

The HBO-made series Entourage was taken off-air for three weeks by one cable operator in the Philippines, pending clearance by the MTRCB. The entire series continued to air without disruption on all other Philippines cable operators.

In Vietnam, programs broadcast on HBO Asia undergo censorship overseen by Vietnam News Agency. Any film that is judged to contradict or misrepresent the Vietnam War (such as depicting the US as heroes, which contradicts the state's official stance), or critical of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam, or to contain explicit sexual or gruesome content deemed inconsistent with Vietnamese societal norms, will not be aired. Instead, it will be replaced with another film, accompanied by an on-screen disclaimer indicating that it is a substitute feature replacing a film with sensitive content. Additionally, scenes depicting nudity, violence, or mild profanity are typically toned down.

In China, due to Western product restrictions, and the China-United States trade war, HBO was blocked and restricted, and the replacement is currently Tencent Video and iQIYI.

Channels

The live channels remain available on selected pay TV providers as HBO GO not longer provide the live channels in-app and online starting 25 May 2023.

HBO South Asia

HBO South Asia

Country	India
Broadcast area	India Bangladesh Maldives Pakistan (timeshifted feed)
Programming
Language(s)	English
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Ownership
Owner	WarnerMedia International (As of 2019) Turner International India (earlier)
Sister channels	CNN International WB Pogo Cartoon Network Imagine TV
History
Launched	22 March 2000
Closed	15 December 2020
Links
Website	Official website (Archive)

HBO formerly provided a separate feed with commercial breaks for audiences in South Asia, namely India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives. All movie promos in this beam are according to IST. A time-shifted feed for Pakistan was launched in the mid-2000s in partnership with ARY Digital Network. The schedule was same as the Indian feed with the difference being the commercial breaks and timings in PST.

Before the launch of HBO South Asia, HBO tried replicating the premium model in India. But then HBO decided it wasn't commercially viable so the South Asia channel was launched in India and also in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Maldives.

HBO Asia and Eros International launched HBO Defined and HBO Hits across India on 21 February 2013 on Dish TV and Airtel Digital TV. These channels are commercial-free. The content of both the channels include movies as well as most of HBO Original Programming. When the channels launched, the main HBO channel stopped airing original series.

In 2015, HBO had decided to exit the Indian market and license the channel to Turner International India. The channel was revamped in February 2016 after a survey conducted by the channel team to better suit the masses. HBO Defined and HBO Hits would be handled by Star India, however HBO Defined and HBO Hits SD was shut down on 31 December 2015 while HBO Hits HD was replaced by HBO HD on 4 September 2016. It only airs Hollywood movies, as Star India has the rights to HBO Original Programming which are available on Star World and Disney+ Hotstar.

WarnerMedia International announced on 15 October 2020 that HBO South Asia and WB Channel would close down on 15 December 2020. The HBO channel would no longer be available in India and Pakistan, while WB Channel ceased to exist in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Maldives.

HBO India had closed down at midnight with the last movie on the SD channel being Mad Max: Fury Road (completed 1 hour before the shutdown) and the last movie on the HD channel being Memoirs of a Geisha. HBO Pakistan was also closed down at midnight.

See also

• HBO
• Cinemax

Notes

1. Acquired by HBO Asia from Tencent Video
2. ^ Acquired by HBO Asia from Youku
3. ^ The link has been archived at the Wayback Machine

References

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External links

• Official website (Archive)
• Max on Facebook
• Max on X
• Max on Instagram
• MAX Asia Streaming

• Singapore
• Television

• HBO
• Home Box Office, Inc.
• Movie channels
• Cable television in Hong Kong
• English-language television stations in Singapore
• Television channels and stations established in 1992
• Television stations in Mumbai
• Defunct television channels in India
• Warner Bros. Discovery Asia-Pacific
• Movie channels in the Philippines
• Movie channels in Singapore
• Movie channels in Taiwan
• Movie channels in Thailand
• Movie channels in Indonesia
• Movie channels in Vietnam
• Movie channels in Malaysia
• Movie channels in South Korea
• Television stations in Palau
• Television stations in Papua New Guinea
• Mass media in Southeast Asia
• 1992 establishments in Singapore