- HBO Max will start showing persistent prompts to crack down on password sharing, starting in September.
- This is an attempt to push users to pay $7.99 extra to add another member to their current plan, or sign up for a new plan instead.
- The service has been using softer measures till now, with prompts that you could dismiss.
HBO Max will start showing persistent prompts from September to crack down on password sharing on its platform, pushing people to pay extra to add extra members to their plan. Warner Bros. Discovery streaming head JB Perette announced that the service will take strict measures to discourage password sharing starting next month.
During an earnings call on Thursday, he said, “In September, you’ll actually start to see the messaging — which right now has been a fairly soft, cancelable messaging — start to get more fixed and such that people have to take action.”
Starting in September, HBO Max will employ aggressive measures, such as persistent prompts, to push users to pay $7.99 for an additional member who is not part of the household. If this sounds similar, it’s because streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+ have already used the same tactic.
The company announced last year that it would also crack down on password sharing, starting with soft messaging. But it has not delivered the results Warner Bros. Discovery executives had hoped for, with Parette noting that paid sharing is “a voluntary process.”.
Of course, by cracking down on password sharing, Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to boost its subscriber numbers. Even though the studio gained over 3.4 million new subscribers since it changed the name to HBO Max again. Other streaming platforms like Peacock and Paramount+ are expected to follow suit, and it’s only a matter of time before password sharing becomes a thing of the past.
