How to watch HBO Max in the Philippines

Foreword

In this article, we will explore how to access HBO Max from geo-restricted locations, with our main focus being the Philippines, one of the countries where HBO Max has not officially launched yet.

The WarnerMedia-owned premium streaming platform came into inception in May, 2022. A subsidiary of AT&T, HBO Max is an extension of the conventional HBO cable network. CNN, TNT, TBS, and Warner Bros are the broad range of additional programming owned by WarnerMedia and streamed by HBO Max.

What’s unique about HBO Max is its “Max Originals” programming which includes original movies, documentaries, and TV shows exclusively produced for the platform. This programming includes popular shows like “Lovecraft Country”, “The Flight Attendant”, and “Raised by Wolves”.

With thousands of hours of curated collections to choose from and a dedicated app that allows users to tweak their profiles according to their preferences, HBO Max is nothing short of a wholesome viewing experience.

Available in the Following Regions

HBO Max’s initial launch was limited to the United States. Fast-forward about a year later, the premium streaming service has globally expanded to 61 territories. Its expansion can be summarized into a total of four regions that have been listed below:

Latin America: HBO Max is available for viewing in the following Latin American countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela.

The Caribbean: The Caribbean includes territories like Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos where HBO Max streaming services are available.

Europe: Åland Islands, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Ceuta, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Hungary, Madeira, Melilla, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Svalbard & Jan Mayen, Sweden are all the European countries that HBO Max is available to stream.

North America: In North America, HBO Max can be streamed in Mexico, and the United States (including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

How to Watch HBO Max in the Philippines [Quick Guide]

Although HBO Max now streams in many locations since its initial launch, there are still many more locations where HBO Max cannot be accessed due to its geo-restriction policies. Anyone trying to access the HBO Max website from a geo-blocked location without a reliable VPN would simply see an “unavailable in your region” message displayed by the webpage. This is because the streaming services’ fortified geo-blocking firewalls identify any geo-restricted IP addresses trying to access the website and add the addresses to a blacklist that is maintained.

Even with all the geo-restrictions and IP address blacklisting, there are still ways to access geo-blocked websites if you use a premium VPN service (further explored in this article). The geo-restricted location that we’ll be looking into today is the Philippines which is not included in the list of territories where HBO Max provides streaming services. To do that, you’d need to spoof the HBO Max firewall system against detecting your actual location’s IP address. For that, you’d need a reliable VPN that will mask and temporarily switch your local Philippine-based IP address for an American one and trick HBO Max’s geo-location firewalls.

Why Do You Need a VPN to Access HBO Max in the Philippines (or anywhere outside the US)?

Due to restrictive copyright policies, HBO Max is largely only available for streaming in the US countries. If you’re anywhere outside the available locations, you would be redirected to an error page that would read: “Not in Service Area or VPN Detected.” As bad as it looks, there is a workaround for this error– a subscription with a reliable VPN service. A premium VPN service like ExpressVPN would effectively cloak your local IP and manipulate HBO Max’s IP address detectors with its optimized US servers and next-generation security protocols giving you complete access to its website and streaming services.

Best VPNs to Watch HBO Max anywhere in the Philippines

This section will dive into the top three VPN recommendations that we tested (from a list of 40+). We narrowed down the list to three of the most substantial VPNs based on their expansive networks, bandwidth, unblocking capabilities, and security protocols that operate consistently with HBO Max anywhere in the Philippines.

ExpressVPN – Recommended VPN to Access HBO Max in the Philippines

Built-in speed: ExpressVPN includes a feature that enables you to check your web speed. Their fastest servers are based in Australia.

Standard of encryption: ExpressVPN employs an AES 256-bit encryption, known widely for its secure encryption technology.

Kill switch feature: DNS leak, Split tunneling, and kill switch features are additional offerings from this top-notch VPN service provider.

Privacy policies: ExpressVPN contains privacy policies present within the network, like WireGuard, which analyzes the security layers to ensure users experience fewer issues related to privacy concerns.

Complete Protection: With ExpressVPN you are fully protected because it doesn’t monitor login time, the IP address that’s being utilized, any traffic, or any data of the pages visited via the IP address you connect from.

Subscription Plan: The best package is priced at $8.32 per month (billed annually) and includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, securing you a savings of 35 percent overall.

Surfshark – Budget-Friendly VPN to unblock HBO Max in the Philippines

Unique security techniques: Surfshark doesn’t save any of its user’s private information or browsing history securing your identity from hackers by deleting any hint of it with each reboot.

Global Servers: Surfshark offers 3,200+ servers stretched across 65 countries with extensive simultaneous connections at phenomenally high speeds and multiple servers, all with a no logs policy.

Secure Protocols: Surfshark employs secure encryption protocols like AES-256 encryption, plus the secure protocols OpenVPN UDP and TCP, IKEv2, and Wire Guard that completely encrypt your internet traffic.

Split Tunneling: This feature from Surfshark allows users to split their internet connection into two, granting users the foreign access they require while simultaneously being updated with local news.

Subscription plan: Unlike most premium VPN services, Surfshark offers a great two-year monthly subscription plan for just $2.49. Additionally, you need only pay roughly a dollar more ($3.48) to access the search and alert features available with this offering.

NordVPN – Largest Server Network VPN to Unblock HBO Max in the Philippines

Fast Servers: Due to ease of setup, NordVPN is most suitable for beginners. It also offers its premium users a vast server network (5,200+ servers worldwide). Even the most secure firewalls of geo-restricted sites like Youtube TV, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max are easily bypassed because of Nord’s fast servers.

High tunneling protocol: To prevent internet speeds from lagging, Nordlynx, a software used by NordVPN, is a tunneling protocol that supplies blazing-fast internet speed, no matter where you may be.

Advanced Security: With NordVPN, you get advanced security with AES 256-bit encryption, reliable server technology, automatic kill switch, split tunneling, no IP address leaks, and complete anonymity while browsing.

Double Protection: One unique feature you can get with NordVPN is it provides users with an added layer of protection by changing their IP address twice, and web traffic encryption. NordVPN’s double security protocol is so secure, it can unblock any geo-restricted website, enabling users to watch DirecTV Now outside the USA, CBS (all access) outside the USA, and Fox Sports Go outside the US with ease.

Subscription plan: Cheaper than most VPNs, with NordVPN you can secure 51 percent in savings on subscribing to their 24-month plan, plus you get three extra months with NordVPN, all for the cost of $3.99 per month or $107.73 for the first two years.

Final Thoughts

You now know everything needed to know about HBO Max as a premium streaming service. The fact that it is geo-restricted is a shortcoming for it as an online streaming service because most people nowadays around the globe prefer to watch shows and movies in the comforts of their homes, without the need to have to go to any movie theater. The advent of online streaming services like HBO Max has made this possible but it also becomes a challenge for those who wish to access these streaming services from geo-restricted locations.

With this article, we have aimed to solve the hurdle of not being able to view HBO Max due to geo-restriction policies by exploring how VPNs (our top recommendations are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark) can get the job done without any strenuous efforts and minimum cost, so you get to enjoy all the best shows and movies HBO Max has to offer. The best part? You do not even have to leave the comforts of your home. So, go through our extensive guide that’s been tailored just for you to enjoy unlimited access to one of the best streaming services the internet has to offer.

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