In the era of online streaming services dominating film and television viewership, companies are vying to stay on top, and HBO Max subscribers are once again seeing the effects of this competitiveness with another round of price increases hitting the service beginning October 21. HBO Max is home to hit shows like the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon and the live-action adaptation of The Last of Us, and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav believes this quality of programming will keep viewers interested, regardless of price changes.
Streaming services like HBO Max, Netflix, and more have taken over modern entertainment with online access to massive libraries of movies and shows spanning the Golden Age of Hollywood to brand-new releases. While audiences have enjoyed the competitive nature of these streaming services pushing for highly-produced shows like HBO Max's Peacemaker and Amazon Prime's Fallout, the steady and seemingly frequent increase in pricing for these platforms remains a point of contention between executives and consumers.
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New Cost of HBO Max Subscriptions
- HBO Max Basic With Ads Monthly: $10.99 (+$1 per month) Annually: $109.99 (+$10 per year)
- HBO Max Standard Monthly: $18.49 (+$1.50 per month) Annual: $184.99 (+$15 per year)
- HBO Max Premium Monthly: $22.99 (+$2 per month) Annual: $229.99 (+$20 per year)
As of October 21, HBO Max will be raising the cost of all of its subscription tiers, with HBO Max Basic with Ads increasing by $1 per month or $10 for the yearly plan, HBO Max Standard will go up $1.50 per month, or $15 more for an annual subscription, and HBO Max Premium is receiving a $2 monthly increase and a $20 extra charge yearly. This now places these three plans at $10.99, $18.49, and $22.99 per month, respectively, or $109.99, $184.99, and $229.99 for the annual subscriptions. WBD CEO David Zaslav recently stated that the company "want[s] a good deal for customers" but also sees the opportunity over time to raise prices. HBO recently premiered its brand-new horror show IT: Welcome to Derry, which has drawn in new subscribers for the spooky season, but some fear the increasing costs could drive viewers away despite the popularity of programming.
Zaslav also discussed the use of password sharing, which allows multiple users to utilize a streaming service under a single subscription, and noted the company will "begin to push on that," possibly suggesting more changes to come to HBO Max. Audiences have repeatedly questioned the value of streaming compared to old-school cable services, with many seeing frequent price hikes and shifting programming as setbacks in the modern era of entertainment. Whether beloved shows like the Emmy-winning medical drama The Pitt will keep viewers interested in HBO Max in the face of increasing costs remains to be seen, but Zaslav seems confident that audiences will find the quality of programming to be worth the price.
With the sheer variety of online streaming services for movies and TV, it should come as no surprise that each platform is trying to increase viewership while also maximizing profits. The catch, of course, is finding the balance between happy customers and satisfied shareholders. As HBO Max and its competitors continue to announce more expensive subscription fees, many are wondering if, or perhaps when, the streaming bubble will finally burst.