Warner Bros. Discovery Plans HBO Max Price Increase and Stricter Password Controls
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has revealed forthcoming changes to HBO Max’s pricing and password sharing policies, signaling a strategic shift to boost revenue from the streaming platform. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, Zaslav highlighted the service’s growing popularity and premium content quality as key factors driving the decision.
“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 price,” Zaslav stated. “We think we’re way underpriced.” Currently, HBO Max offers a Basic with Ads plan at $9.99 per month, a Standard plan at $16.99, and a Premium plan at $20.99.
In addition to the price adjustment, Warner Bros. Discovery intends to address the widespread practice of password sharing among subscribers. Zaslav acknowledged that the company has not yet aggressively enforced restrictions but plans to begin doing so in the near future.
“People are really starting to love HBO Max. That’s the key. We want them to fall in love with our content, with our series, with the differentiated offering outside of the U.S. It’s all tricky with the password sharing. We’re going to begin to push on that,” he explained.
This approach aims to convert users who access the service through shared credentials into paying customers, thereby increasing revenue and supporting continued investment in high-quality content.
FinOracleAI — Market View
The announcement of a price increase combined with stricter password sharing enforcement is likely to generate higher average revenue per user (ARPU) for HBO Max. However, these changes carry the risk of subscriber churn if customers perceive the price hike or restrictions as too aggressive. The positive factor is the strong content portfolio, which may justify the higher cost and retain loyalty. Investors should monitor subscriber growth trends and churn rates closely following implementation.
Impact: positive
