HBO Max Names Content Heads for UK and Italy

Warner Bros. Discovery has appointed Sasha Breslau and Alessandro Volpato to lead content acquisitions for HBO Max in the U.K. & Ireland and Italy, respectively, as the company prepares for the streamer’s early 2026 rollout across multiple European markets.

Breslau will join as Vice President, Content Acquisitions for the UK and Ireland in October 2025. Reporting to Ragnhild Thorbech, SVP of Programming & Acquisitions, EMEA, she will oversee content sourcing, rights negotiations, and strategic programming partnerships. Her remit includes helping shape HBO Max’s regional strategy and curating a diverse lineup of HBO Originals, Max Originals, Warner Bros. Pictures titles, DC Studios content, and TNT Sports programming.

Volpato, named Director of Acquisitions for Italy, will report to Joana Silva, VP of Programming & Acquisitions. Based in Milan, he will lead negotiations with local and European studios and distributors and collaborate with the broader EMEA acquisitions team on pan-European projects.

Breslau joins WBD after two decades at ITV, where she most recently served as Head of Content Acquisitions. She was a key architect of ITVX and ITVX Premium, overseeing the licensing of more than 8,000 hours of content. Among her acquisitions were Love & Death, The Twelve, One Tree Hill and The Originals — all top-performing titles for the platform — as well as the Oprah with Meghan & Harry special, ITV’s most-watched non-sport broadcast since 2018. She also brokered multi-year deals with Disney for Family Guy and American Dad.

Volpato joins from Prime Video & Amazon Studios, where he was Senior Manager, Content Acquisition. His portfolio included original Italian series such as Pesci Piccoli, Sconfort Zone, and Sono Lillo, alongside international fare like Those About to Die. A former executive at Warner Bros. International TV Distribution in London, he has also held strategic roles at Discovery Italia and co-founded the cultural non-profit CinemaItaliaUK.

The appointments come as HBO Max accelerates its international expansion. Following a July 2025 relaunch that brought the platform to 12 new markets, HBO Max is now available in over 90 countries. Its U.K. and Irish debut in early 2026 will coincide with the expiration of WBD’s output deal with Comcast-owned pay-TV group Sky, positioning the platform as the exclusive regional home for its flagship programming.