HBO Max has been the most recent streaming service to increase their prices. Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns the streaming giant, announced on Tuesday that it is increasing the prices of all plans.
The Basic plan with ads offered by HBO Max is raising the price by $1 a month to $10.99, the Standard plan is increasing by $1.50 to $18.49, and Premium is increasing $2 to $22.99. The last price increase of HBO Max was in June 2024.
The increase in prices applies instantly to new subscriptions. The company stated that current monthly subscribers will be notified 30 days ahead of their plan renewal, and the new prices will take effect on their following billing date on or after November 20.
The updates proceed as the streaming market is getting flooded with the choices and alternatives more and more. – and as the other big apps raise their prices.
Last month, Disney increased the cost of its Disney+ plans and bundles, Apple increased the cost of Apple TV by 30 percent in August, and Netflix increased prices at the beginning of the year.
WBD CEO David Zaslav stated in September that price increases and a more vigorous crackdown on sharing passwords were planned.
In a Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference in the previous month, Zaslav said, “The fact that this is quality, and that’s true across our company, motion picture, TV production and streaming quality, we all think that gives us a chance to raise prices.” He also stated, “We think we’re way underpriced.”
WBD reports it had 125.7 million paying subscribers to all of its streaming services as of June 30. That figure includes HBO Max and other legacy linear subscribers to HBO, who have access to the streaming service.
The news of HBO Max is received in the context of changes in its parent company, WBD. The company announced in June that it intends to divide into two public companies by the year 2026.
One of these streaming and studios would be its movie holdings and HBO Max, and the other, a global networks business, would consist of linear channels such as CNN and TNT Sports.
Meanwhile, interest in takeouts is being raised by companies such as Paramount Skydance, and WBD said it would consider a sale on Tuesday.
