HBO Max’s Upcoming Password Sharing Rules Mean Your Free Ride’s Over

Max app welcome screen on a TV with tubs of popcorn in front
Image Credit: Hamara/ Shutterstock
In Short
  • Max plans to crack down on password sharing, starting with "soft messaging" in the coming months.
  • The move aims to increase revenue, as said by the company's CFO Gunnar Weidenfels.
  • The streaming service may also increase its subscription prices again in the coming year.

Subscription prices are already reaching a point of frustration for consumers, and it seems like the companies are not ready to back down anytime soon. During the Warner Bros Discovery Q3 earnings call, the company’s CFO, Gunnar Weidenfels, said that Max will be cracking down on password sharing in the coming months with further progress in 2025.

As reported by The Verge, the move will begin with “a soft messaging” about the change, followed by stricter actions. If this sounds similar, then it is the same set of password sharing rules used by Netflix and Disney+ recently. It’s where these services sent out emails to existing customers before tightening on their subscription.

Max app and website running on phone and PC, both placed on a desk
Image Credit: Elena Uve/ Shutterstock

Gunnar Weidenfels asks members who have not signed up, or multi-household members, to “pay a little bit more“. He also called password sharing “a form of price rises”. Gunnar hinted that Max’s subscription price could also increase soon. The company considers, there’s “a fair amount of room to continue to push a price we’ve been judicious about”.

Note that Max last increased their prices for the ad-free and Ultimate tier back in June of this year. This isn’t the first time Max has expressed the desire to limit password-sharing, following the successful attempt made by Netflix. And it doesn’t seem like these price hikes are going away anytime soon as people continue to pay for them. I am guilty of that too.

Max is home to some of the most cherished TV shows like the Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, and The Sopranos. Plus, it holds a catalog of all Warner Bros movies, which is why I feel that the company’s crackdown on password sharing will be a successful attempt to gain more subscribers. Currently, it has a user base of 110.5 Million users, which may increase after the coming changes.

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