WarnerMedia has appointed Jason Monteiro as general manager for HBO Max across Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Based in Singapore, he will oversee WarnerMedia’s existing HBO Go streaming service and the eventual launch of HBO Max in the region, with responsibility for content, marketing and subscriber management, digital partnerships and data analytics.
Monteiro was most recently director of AVOD at Arabic content streaming service Shahid, owned by Dubai-based broadcaster MBC Group. In this role, he was responsible for the general management of the platform’s free tier, covering user growth and engagement, overseeing the content catalogue and monetising through advertising solutions.
Prior to Shahid, Monteiro was general manager of Indonesia and Malaysia for Southeast Asian regional streamer iflix, where he also held the position of chief marketing officer.
His appointment at WarnerMedia follows the departure of Amit Malhotra, who was named managing director for HBO Max in Southeast Asia and India in June 2021. WarnerMedia said in a statement that Monteiro will report to Johannes Larcher, head of HBO Max International, until the streamer appoints a managing director for the broader “INSEAK region” (India, Southeast Asia and Korea).
HBO Max launched in the US in May 2020 and began its global rollout last year, launching in 39 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean in the summer and in Europe across the Nordic territories and Spain in October. It will continue to launch in additional European countries this year.
While no dates have been confirmed for the arrival of HBO Max in Asia, WarnerMedia said it “remains focused” on the growth of HBO Go, the company’s existing streaming service in the region, which in addition to HBO content streams Warner Bros movies just 45 days after their theatrical release.