Industry fans won’t have to wait until Sunday night for the next chapter. Episode 5 of Season 4 is arriving early on Max, dropping two days ahead of its regular linear broadcast so viewers can get a jump on the action without competing with one of TV’s biggest live events.
When does Episode 5 arrive on Max and HBO?
The new episode will be available to stream on Max early Friday at 3:01 a.m. ET, while the traditional HBO airing remains in its usual Sunday 9 p.m. ET slot. After this week’s one-off shift, Industry returns to its standard weekly cadence on Sundays.
One caveat for early birds: watching on Friday means a longer-than-usual wait for the next installment. You’ll face a nine-day gap before Episode 6 lands on Sunday night the following week.
Why is Episode 5 dropping early on Max this week?
This is a playbook premium networks know well: avoid going head-to-head with the Super Bowl. According to Nielsen, last year’s game delivered an average audience of more than 120 million viewers across platforms, pulling attention away from virtually everything else on TV for the night. Shifting a prestige drama’s streaming availability lets fans keep momentum without forcing a choice between must-see finance-world fireworks and the country’s largest live sports broadcast.
HBO has used the same strategy with other Sunday tentpoles. When The Last of Us faced the Super Bowl in 2023, the network released its episode early and reaped strong engagement over the long weekend. Similar tweaks have occurred around awards telecasts and marquee sports, reflecting a broader Warner Bros. Discovery approach to protecting flagship shows from event-driven audience swings.
How to watch Episode 5 early and avoid spoilers
Max subscribers can hit play as soon as the episode lands in the app at 3:01 a.m. ET (that’s 12:01 a.m. PT). If you prefer the communal feel of appointment TV, you can stick with HBO’s Sunday 9 p.m. ET airing. Either way, expect social feeds to buzz once the episode is live—muting keywords like “Industry,” “Harper,” and “Yasmin” can help spoiler-proof your scroll until you catch up.
If you want to watch during the game-day lull, downloading the episode for offline viewing via the Max app is a practical move, especially if you’ll be away from a stable connection. And if you’ve been following Season 4’s market shocks and personal reckonings, the early release gives you more flexibility to fit that next hour into a crowded weekend.
What the early shift signals for Industry’s momentum
An early drop isn’t a sign of trouble—it’s a signal the network wants to maximize visibility for a buzzy midseason episode. With Season 4 expanding its scope and headline-making talent in the mix, an early arrival lets conversation build ahead of the linear broadcast, then crest again on Sunday night. For a series that thrives on momentum and next-day chatter, that two-wave effect can be powerful.
Bottom line: if you’ve been itching to see where Harper, Yasmin, and the Pierpoint crew land after the last episode’s jaw-dropper, you’re in luck. The next chapter hits Max first thing Friday, with the usual Sunday HBO airing intact—and plenty of room for the discourse to run.
