Max has officially joined the list of major streamers cracking down on password sharing.
In a move that mirrors Netflix’s approach, Warner Bros. Discovery rolled out a new feature on 22 April that limits account usage outside the main subscriber’s household.
This shift, which has been anticipated for months, continues the trend across the streaming industry, with Disney+ and Hulu also introducing tighter controls on account access.
Though divisive among users, it marks a significant step in enforcing subscription policies.
According to Deadline, Max’s new “extra member add-on” lets subscribers share access with someone outside their household for a fee. The feature allows an adult profile to be transferred into a standalone extra-member account, complete with separate login credentials.
This new account can stream from one profile on one device at a time and enjoys the same content as the primary subscriber. The cost is set at $7.99 per month (plus tax).
Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO of Global Streaming and Games, JB Perrette, explained the update:
“Extra Member Add-On and Profile Transfer are two key Max advancements, designed to help viewers with a new way to enjoy our best-in-class content at an exceptional value, and offer subscribers greater flexibility in managing their accounts. These updates provide a simple way for subscribers to add-on a new member to their account, or for existing subscribers who have users outside of their household to smoothly, and in an uninterrupted fashion, transition their profile so that extra member can continue to access Max.”
The add-on is exclusive to the Max platform and does not apply to the Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle. Warner Bros.
Discovery defines an extra member as someone not living with the primary subscriber. All extra members must be at least 18 years old and based in the same country as the account holder.
While enforcement details remain unclear, it is expected Max will follow a strategy similar to Netflix’s.
Max’s standard pricing is also slightly higher than Netflix’s, with the ad-supported plan starting at $9.99 monthly.
In contrast, Netflix’s ad-supported standard plan begins at $7.99, and it charges $6.99 to add an extra member.
With the launch of the new feature, Max aims to tighten account controls while still offering flexibility to subscribers through new ways of managing who accesses their content.
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