HBO Max Launches Campaign Against Shared Use of Passwords

• HBO Max is introducing new rules for shared password usage.
• Users will be able to add one additional person for $7.99 per month.
• Changes will begin to take effect in January 2025.

HBO Max plans to tighten control over shared password usage starting next month. This decision is part of the company's strategy to increase the number of subscribers.

According to the information, in January HBO Max will begin implementing more aggressive measures to combat shared account usage. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO JB Perette noted that notifications for users will become clearer and more mandatory.

Users who wish to add one additional person to their account will be able to do so for an additional fee of $7.99 per month. This new person will get their own individual account, password, and profile. HBO Max users with ads will pay $9.99 per month, which makes the additional fee relatively small.

The company also plans to collect information about account usage, IP addresses, device identifiers, and user activity to determine whether accounts are being shared more than one household. The transformation of the voluntary process into a mandatory one may have a significant impact on the company’s financial indicators by 2026.

This move is part of a broader trend among streaming services that are looking to limit shared password usage, which has already shown positive results for Netflix, which reported an increase in subscribers following the introduction of similar measures.

Tags: Technology