HBO Max Announces First Subscription Price Hike Since Launch, Effective Next Month
Welp, it's been a nice ride for nearly three years but the price of HBO Max is about to go up for those of us who are currently enjoying the streaming service's ad-free plan. As announced via an email to subscribers recently, the price of the ad-free plan will be going up by $1, from $14.99 per month to $15.99 per month, plus taxes. Per the email, subscribers will see their monthly rate increase to the new, higher rate during their next billing cycle on or after Saturday, February 11, 2023. Plan accordingly.
This is the first time that the service has hiked up its price since launching in May 2020, it's worth nothing. Be that as it may, in a landscape that is increasingly populated by many, many streaming services, these price increases bring viewers ever closer to the prices they were paying for cable before Netflix ushered in the cord-cutting revolution. A dollar here or there adds up when you're paying for a handful of different subscriptions, if not more. As for the reasoning behind this price hike? The email states that "this price increase of one dollar will allow us to continue to invest in providing even more culture-defining programming and improving our customer experience for all users."
Unique to HBO Max, however, is the fact that many movies and TV shows have been disappearing from the service as of late. This is a cost-saving measure for Warner Bros. Discovery, a company that was around $57 billion in debt following Discovery's acquisition of WarnerMedia, creating this new media giant. In any event, a service generating more headlines for removing movies and TV shows from its service lately asking for more money, albeit not a lot more money, might rub some people the wrong way.
The bills have to be paid
Setting aside the very specific, unenviable situation that HBO Max finds itself in, the fact of the matter is that the streaming landscape is in flux right now. Cord-cutting has accelerated, forcing media giants like Warner Bros. Discovery to try to make up cable and/or satellite revenue elsewhere. For years, many believed that streaming revenue could make up the difference. Unfortunately, as we've seen, that simply hasn't been the case. That's why AMC recently had to lay off a ton of employees, and it's why streaming subscribers are being asked to pay more money. The bills have to be paid. And premium shows like "The Last of Us" don't come cheap.
The average Joe, meanwhile, is reckoning with how best to go about a media budget. With music it's relatively easy. A Spotify or Apple Music subscription should do it. For movies and TV? We've got Netflix, Peacock, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and many others, including outstanding niche services like Shudder, to choose from. Most people don't want to shell out upwards of $80 per month to have all of these services at once. Price increases, though largely necessary, are certainly walking a tricky line as any customer can simply take their business elsewhere.
As for HBO Max, it will soon be a thing of the past anyhow – sort of. WBD is currently planning to launch a new service that will merge HBO Max with Discovery+ later this year. No word on what that service will be called or what it will cost, but with the added value, one assumes the company will surely look to reflect that value in the price point. In short, guard your wallets, everyone.