Another day, another price increase for a streaming service, and this time it’s HBO Max, which has higher prices for everyone at the same time that its parent company puts everything up for sale. The first price hike for HBO Max hit in early 2023 before the service changed its name, and while that decision was rolled back in a re-re-branding, the prices still keep going up even after last year’s increase for ad-free plans.
If you subscribe to the Basic with Ads package, your price is going up by $1 per month or by $10 for full-year subscriptions, taking the prices to $10.99 and $109.99, respectively, as reported earlier by Variety.
The Standard ad-free subscription will increase from $16.99 per month to $18.49 per month, and from $169.99 for a full year to $184.99. The Premium subscription with 4K streaming is going up from $20.99 monthly to $22.99, and from $169.99 annually to $184.99.
The combo platter Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle is increasing the price of its package with ads by $3 monthly, from $16.99 to $19.99 with ads, and for the (mostly) ad-free subscription, the price will go from $29.99 to $32.99.
The writing for another increase was on the wall when CEO David Zaslav called HBO Max “way underpriced” during an event last month. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he told attendees at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Technology Conference that “The fact that this is quality — and that’s true across our company, motion picture, TV production and and streaming quality — we all we think that gives us a chance to raise price.”
The new prices are effective today for new customers and as of November 20th for existing subscribers.
It’s interesting to see how streaming services are adjusting their pricing strategies. While it can be frustrating for subscribers, it’s a reminder of the evolving landscape of entertainment. Thanks for sharing the update!
be frustrating for subscribers, it does reflect the increasing costs of content production. Many platforms are investing heavily in original series and films, which might be driving these price hikes. It’ll be interesting to see how this impacts viewer loyalty in the long run.