Max, HBO's streaming platform, has begun cracking down on password sharing. For the past few days, the service has been asking its American customers to pay additional fees if they want to share their account with a loved one who doesn't live in the same place.
A subscription that's becoming significantly more expensive
The service, formerly known as HBO Max, charges $7.99 per month for subscribers who absolutely want to share their account. This amount must be added to the monthly subscription price, which starts at $9.99 per month in the United States for the ad-supported plan. The additional fees also apply to subscribers of the premium offer with 4k included, which costs $20.99 per month. The bill is starting to add up.
The American company specifies that it is not possible to add multiple additional members to an account. The feature is reserved for a single person. For the moment, this restriction is only applied in the United States. On the European continent, Max does not yet offer subscribers the option to pay to add an additional member to their household. French customers can continue to share their account for free. However, we should expect the option to be rolled out in France in the near future. The end of free account sharing on Max is coming to an end.
Max follows the example of Netflix and Disney+
By restricting how subscribers share their account, Max hopes to give a boost to its customer base. As a reminder, the platform aims to pass the 150 million subscriber mark by the end of next year. Max still only boasts 116.9 million subscribers worldwide.
HBO Max is following in the footsteps of Netflix and Disney+, its two main competitors. Both platforms have implemented strict restrictions on account sharing over the past two years. In France, Netflix charges an additional €5.99 for adding an additional subscriber. Disney+, for its part, charges its customers €4.99 per month. While the measure has boosted subscriber growth at Netflix, with 301.6 million paying customers worldwide, it has yet to have a positive effect on Disney+. The service even shows a loss of 700,000 subscribers worldwide, accentuated by price increases. Source: Max Max
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