Max Planning to Crack Down on Password Sharing - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Max Planning to Crack Down on Password Sharing

by

Max, the streaming service previously known as HBO Max, is cracking down on password sharing in the coming months, reports The Verge. During an earnings call today, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery said that customers will start seeing "very soft messaging" about the upcoming change.

Max Formerly HBO Max
After that initial message about password sharing, more strict rules will be put into place in 2025 and 2026. Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Widenfels said that Max would be asking viewers who have "not signed up, or multi-household members to pay a little bit more."

Max could also get a price increase in the future, and the company has not ruled out raising the cost of a subscription. Widenfels said that there is a "fair amount of room to continue to push a price" that Max has been "judicious about."

Max has a total of 110.5 million subscribers globally, and the service is priced starting at $9.99 per month for an ad-supported version ($99.99 per year), or $16.99 per month for an ad-free version ($169.99 per year). There's also a more expensive "Ultimate" $20.99/month plan that provides 4K streaming.

Streaming services are putting an end to password sharing after Netflix successfully cracked down on the practice last year. Netflix saw its subscription numbers increase after preventing customers from sharing accounts across multiple households.

Tag: HBO Max

Top Rated Comments

Trusteft Avatar
Trusteft
19 months ago
Wait, subscribers have to watch ads too? lol
I am glad I don't have any of these.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G
GoosePoops
19 months ago
I cancelled last year when they did the major price hike and then required an "Ultimate" plan to view 4K content. Signed up again this year when I got a promotion for 60% off a year, and then discovered the app is now filled to the brim with awful B-tier reality TV type content. Sad to see HBO have such a fall from grace in the last few years. Won't be resubscribing.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
SolidAdamantium
19 months ago
I travel a lot and if I pay for 2 streams at a time, it shouldn’t matter where those streams take place, as long as I’m not exceeding my 2 streams. This seems like a BS cash grab from companies who spend way too much for content and end up losing money
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rizzo41999 Avatar
rizzo41999
19 months ago
Plex + home server or NAS
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
SpotOnT
19 months ago

Plex + home server or NAS
That is the way to go.

You also don’t have to worry about them taking a show down or censoring it.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
techfreak23 Avatar
techfreak23
19 months ago
We knew this was coming after Netflix got away with it and more recently with Disney. These password sharing "crackdowns" are absolutely ridiculous and everyone should cancel any service that does it. It would be like your cell phone provider charging you extra on a family plan line just because that family member doesn't live with you. They actually have more of a justification for doing that than the greedy streaming services, but they don't do it. Anyone trying to defend them and compare to the days of cable/satellite are insane. We pay for a number of simultaneous streams, not number of rooms in a household. There's absolutely no justification, especially with the frequent price increases. They don't incur infrastructure costs because they don't control your internet. Cable companies had to actually do home setups and maintenance.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments