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Popular streaming service HBO Max increased its prices in June 2024, and according to its parent company’s CEO, it may soon do so again.
Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) CEO David Zaslav said WBD believes the service is currently underpriced. The standard ad-free plan for HBO Max costs $16.99 a month, with a 4K subscription at $20.99. There’s also an ad-supported plan for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
The quality of content on HBO Max, as well as WBD's motion picture and TV productions, "gives us a chance to raise price," Zaslav said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "We think we’re way underpriced [but] we’re going to take our time."
Elsewhere in the panel, Zaslav reaffirmed the company’s intention to police password sharing on the service. On a recent earnings call, a senior executive said it would begin enforcing rules around password sharing this month. WBD had previously said it would begin enforcing its rules in 2024, but it missed that deadline.
WBD hopes the move will increase its subscribers, similar to how Netflix did after it enforced rules around password charging. In April, HBO Max introduced paid account sharing, allowing you to add an extra member to your subscription for $7.99 a month.
Zaslav also used the panel to criticize the wider streaming market and how it's a confusing experience for viewers. "When...consumers put on their TV, it’s a terrible consumer experience. In almost every market in the world, there are just way too many choices. And you’re Googling, ‘Where is it? How do I get from one to the other? How do I get into that platform?’”
Earlier this year, HBO Max regained its original name after being called just Max since 2023.