Max Is the Latest Streaming Service Designed for Sharing Passwords
Following similar crackdowns by Netflix and Disney+, Max (formerly HBO Max) has announced its intention to stop you from freely sharing passwords between households. At a news conference Thursday, the company’s chief financial officer, Gunnar Wiedenfels, said the move would start with “very soft messages” over the next few months and then become more serious in 2025 and 2026.
This at least gives those sharing passwords a little time to prepare, although the news doesn’t come as a complete surprise. Speaking specifically about Netflix, streaming chief Warner Bros. Discovery’s JB Perrett warned back in March that the company was looking at eliminating password sharing as “another growth opportunity.”
Wiedenfels called the plan to reduce password sharing “a form of price increase,” saying the company would start by “asking members who haven’t signed up or members of multiple households to pay a little more.”
While it’s currently unclear exactly how Max will implement this change, Wiedenfels’ comments imply that, like Netflix and Disney+, password sharing will still be allowed, but at an additional cost compared to your plan. The company is expected to announce more details as efforts to stamp out unpaid password sharing ramp up.
The decision comes during what CEO David Zaslav called a “generation gap” in the market (the media mogul specifically cited the “disappointing performance” of Joker: Folies à Deux at the box office as an example of the difficulties the company faces). It’s possible that ending free password sharing will allow the company to avoid a more direct increase in subscription prices , as it did in June , although Wiedenfels hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a more direct price increase.
While emphasizing the “premium nature of the Max,” the executive said there was “still plenty of room to raise the price, which we’ve been smart about.” Currently, the ad-supported Max plan costs $9.99 per month, while ad-free plans start at $16.99 per month. In comparison, Netflix’s ad-supported plan will cost you $6.99 per month, while ad-free plans start at $15.49 per month.
Despite the bleak outlook, the company’s third-quarter earnings report showed that Max added 7.3 million subscribers in the quarter.