HBO Max Price Hike Is Imminent as WB CEO Claims Subscription Fees for Its Service are 'Underpriced'

HBO Max is potentially facing an imminent price hike as the Warner Bros. CEO feels that the streaming platform's subscription fees are "underpriced."

CEO David Zaslav recently shared that HBO Max's current pricing is not ideal yet for the quality of content and service that the platform is offering to users at present. However, it is important to note that HBO Max's current subscription fees in various tiers are already competitive in the market, particularly compared to its larger rivals like Netflix and Disney+.

HBO Max Price Hike Is Imminent as Per CEO

In a recent interview by The Hollywood Reporter, Zaslav revealed that in the near future, the company will effect a price hike to the HBO Max streaming service. This comes after the recent rebrand of the platform's namesake to HBO Max following its stint as Max for two years.

Zaslav also revealed that its anti-password-sharing policies will take effect sometime in the future.

HBO Max already announced its plans to do so and designating September as the start of the crackdown. According to Zaslav, the platform would first focus on letting people "love" their content and then work on password sharing crackdown later.

Current Subscriptions are 'Underpriced'

Based on the interview, 9to5Google shared that Zaslav feels that HBO Max's current subscriptions are "underpriced" despite the quality of content it offers on the platform.

HBO Max currently offers monthly subscriptions starting at $9.99 for its ad-supported tier, $16.99 for ad-free, and $20.99 for its Ultimate ad-free tier.

In comparison, the Standard ad-free monthly subscription on other platforms are as follows: $17.99 on Netflix, $15.99 on Disney+, $16.99 on Peacock, and $12.99 on Paramount+.

HBO Max's Return and Price Hikes

Earlier this year, Warner Bros. made a surprising move by bringing back the HBO Max name and branding after years of using the "Max" platform from its previous merger. It was a culmination of Warner Bros. and Discovery's formation as one company. However, it went back to its original moniker after they split up.

It was only in 2023 when HBO Max first announced that there would be a price hike to its subscription service, but this initial one was only a small bump towards a more expensive monthly offering. Later in the year, the company added another tier known as the Ultimate ad-free tier, which caused its Standard ad-free option to downgrade several features to make way for the new subscription.

Max has made significant developments to the streaming experience that made it one of the staples in the industry, with users getting access to free live sports and news content.