HBO Max Will Raise Prices For Subscriptions For The First Time In The Streaming Service's History

TV & Film

Jan 13

For the first time since its launch in 2020, HBO Max subscribers will face a monthly price hike, regardless of their subscription tier. Viewers are going to be charged a 7% increase to $15.99 to use the ad-free version of the streaming service to watch hit shows such as House of the Dragon, Pennyworth, and The Sex Lives of College Girls. In a recent statement, the company claimed “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.”

The comes off the back of a number of cost cutting measures, including the cancellation of numerous original films and series, the downsizing older seasons of TV shows, and the complete removal of other series entirely from their back catalogue, with the aim of licensing them out to other streaming services. The most prolific of these cuts is Batgirl, which was unceremoniously binned last year to much outcry from its cast, crew, and fans. These changes may prove divisive amongst HBO’s viewer base, but is unlikely to be the last. All of this uncertainty is still in the shadow of the oncoming (and unnamed) HBO Max/Discovery superplatform due to launch in Q2 this year.

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Inevitably, people will vote with their feet, so the efficacy of this decision remains to be seen. Living in an era of premium, high-end TV, viewers have more choice than ever before, and with that comes a huge reduction in brand loyalty.

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