HBO hikes prices in US for second time in 18 months

LOS ANGELES:

Warner Bros. Discovery said on Tuesday it is raising prices across all Max subscription tiers in the United States, the second increase in less than 18 months, as streaming services seek to offset higher content costs and slower subscriber growth.

HBO Max's ad-supported Basic plan will increase by $1 to $10.99 per month, while the Standard plan rises $1.50 to $18.49. The Premium tier, which includes higher video quality and more simultaneous streams, will jump $2 to $22.99.

The new rates take effect immediately for new subscribers, with existing customers seeing the changes from November 20. HBO Max last raised prices in June 2024, when major streamers such as Disney+, Apple TV+, and Netflix all announced price increases in recent months.

The streamer, long associated with prestige programming, streams hit shows such as 'Succession', 'Game of Thrones' and its spin-offs, the Emmy-winning 'The Pitt' and DC comics-based 'Peacemaker'.

Last month, at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, WBD CEO David Zaslav said he thinks that HBO Max is underpriced. "We're not trying to be everything to everybody. And the fact that this is quality, and that's true across our company, Motion Picture, TV production and streaming quality. We think that gives us a chance to raise price."

The price hike comes as WBD considers an outright sale following unsolicited interest from other media companies, the company said, in what would be the latest shakeup across legacy media.