Summary

  • Max raises the price of ad-free plans by $1 per month.
  • Existing subscribers will see the price hike after July 4th; renewal rates remain the same.
  • The price increase coincides with the House of the Dragon season 2 premiere.

Max raises the subscription price for their ad-free plans effective immediately. First launched in 2015, the streaming service has been rebranded several times to become Max, and is currently the home for all content from the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., and the Discovery Channel. Max is one of the more expensive streaming services on the market, along with Netflix, though it still lags far behind it in of total subscribers, along with Prime Video and Disney+.

Now, effective immediately on June 4, Max has raised the price of their ad-free plans by $1 per month. The regular ad-free plan is now $16.99 per month, with the annual plan increasing to $169.99 per year. The "ultimate" ad-free plan is now $20.99 per month, with the annual plan increasing to $209.99 per year. However, the price of Max's ad-ed plan will remain unchanged at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.

Existing subscribers will be notified 30 days in advance of their plan renewing and see price increases starting from their next billing cycle on or after Thursday, July 4, 2024. Current yearly subscribers will not see an increase until renewal.

Max's Price Hike Continues An Unfortunate Streaming Trend

Netflix Also Recently Raised Its Prices

In the streaming realm, price hiking is nothing new, as nearly every service has raised its prices at some point in the past few years. However, as two of the more expensive services, Max's price increases are likely an attempt to keep up with its direct competitor, Netflix, which just raised its prices in October 2023, with its standard plan sitting at $15.49 per month and its plan at $22.99 per month. Meanwhile, both streaming services have cracked down on sharing to prevent outside households from using the same at no extra cost.

Max's recent price increase comes at a conspicuous time, considering it is just ahead of the House of the Dragon season 2 premiere on June 16. The Game of Thrones prequel series is Max's most popular series, as the premiere was watched by over 10 million viewers across streaming and linear channels on its first day, the biggest in HBO's history. Max is likely installing the price increase now knowing that the season 2 premiere will cause a massive spike in s, especially since the show last aired in October 2022.

Collage of characters from The Strangers, Maxxine, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Trap with the HBO logo.
Related
New On HBO Max: All 118 Movies & TV Shows Arriving In October

With Max bringing in more movies and TV shows every month, there are plenty of originals and classics coming for subscribers in October 2024.

In addition to House of the Dragon season 2, other titles touted by Max after the price increase include The Penguin TV show, My Brilliant Friend, Industry, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and Sort Of. Other than scripted content, subscribers can also stream live sports – including NBA, NHL, and MLB games – with the B/R Sports Add-On, which is included only for a limited time. Though Max has become the latest streaming service to raise prices, the customer experience should remain unchanged.

Source: Max