HBO Max Raises Prices Across the Board

On the same day Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select raised their prices, HBO Max followed suit and notched their services higher as well. Basic with Ads is going up $1 a month to $10.99, Standard is rising $1.50 to $18.49 and Premium goes up $2 to $22.99.

New prices take effect immediately for new subscribers, while existing subscribers will see the increase in their first bill after Nov. 20.

This news comes the same day Warner Bros. Discovery initiated a “review of potential alternatives to maximize shareholder value.” We know the company rejected at least one buyout offer from Paramount Skydance, and other players could be looking to scoop up some or all of the Warner Bros. Discovery assets.

Don’t Say He Didn’t Warn You…

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav telegraphed today’s price hike last month when he said, “This (HBO Max) 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. We think we’re way underpriced. We’re going to take our time because we’re really growing now. And people are spending more and more time with us. But we think that there’s real upside to that. And it’s hard to replace quality content that people love.”

Zaslav’s rationale for these price hikes? He thinks you’re getting too much content for too little money.

“Consumers in America were paying twice as much 10 years ago for content. People were spending, on average, $55 for content 10 years ago,” Zaslav said. “And the quality of the amount of content they’re getting (now), the spend is up like 10- or 12-fold. So they’re paying dramatically less. I think it’s we want a good deal for consumers. But I think over time there’s real opportunity, particularly for us in that quality area, to raise price.”

Remember, Warner Bros. Discovery is only turning out 12-14 movies a year, the company lost its NBA rights, and HBO Max adds new series at a glacial pace. I love the service, but I think it’s time to unsubscribe and resubscribe a few times each year to make the cost more manageable.

How to Save on HBO Max

If you’d like to save on HBO Max, the best way is to bundle it with another service.