While the cheapest HBO Max subscription includes ads, it seems that these ads are taking up more and more space on the platform.
The $5.99 per month HBO Max subscription is a fairly economical way to enjoy most of the platform's content. Even if it means putting up with a few ads while watching. However, as users and our colleagues at PCWorld are finding, ad breaks are increasing in number and duration. Undoubtedly annoying some subscribers... who are free, moreover, to switch to a more expensive subscription tier that removes all ads.
The media outlet spotted the following message on Max's support page: "If you subscribe to the Basic plan with ads, ads will be shown before and during shows and movies (approximately 6 minutes of ads per hour).". However, if we go back in time, which the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine allows us to do, here is what was indicated on February 16 on the same page: "If you subscribe to the Basic plan with ads, ads will be shown before and during shows and movies (approximately 4 minutes of ads per hour)."
50% more ads on HBO Max
The 6-minute mention was already present on February 28. The change was therefore made between February 16 and 28. So you weren't crazy, it's been a few months since you've been watching more ads on Max. And as a reminder, Max will soon become HBO Max again.
Streaming platforms promised the end of advertising with the subscription system, but it's only better to come back to it now. Netflix was the pioneer in this area, quickly followed by Disney+ and Prime Video. Amazon has also gradually increased the ad time broadcast on Prime Video. From 2 minutes to 3 minutes 30 seconds maximum per hour, it's now down to around 6 minutes. Enough to make you want to pay the extra 2 euros per month to remove them.
Apple is even said to be planning to follow this industry trend on its TV+ service. The firm has reportedly set up a sales team to sell advertising inserts, within its division dedicated to the streaming service.
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