The streaming service price increases show no sign of slowing. Today, new pricing comes into effect for HBO Max – with each tariff going up by $1-2 dollars in the United States.
The Basic with Ads tier is now $11 per month, up from last year’s price hike that took the price up to ten bucks. To get rid of those ads, you’re looking at $18.49 per month, instead of $17. The biggest increase is reserved for those already paying the most. HBO Max Premium, which includes 4K content, is now $23 a month, up from $21.
Current subscribers will see the changes on their next bill on or after November 20. If you sign up for HBO Max today, the new pricing is immediately in effect.
Annual price increases have become commonplace among the top streaming services and, if you subscribe to a few, you’re probably looking at increases approaching $50-$100 over the course of a year by keeping everything active.
In August, Apple issued a scandalous $3 per month increase for Apple TV+, raising the price from $10 a month to $13 a month. Disney+ recently announced it was raising prices for the fourth year in a row. The top, ad-free tier has an Apple-like $3 a month increase, while ad-supported Disney+ is going up by £2 a month. In January, Netflix also bumped up the prices of all subscription tiers. They went up $1, $2.50 and $2 for its Basic with Ads, Standard and Premium tiers. The Premium plan is now $24.99, meaning HBO Max is still slightly cheaper… but not by much.
With password sharing seemingly becoming a thing of the past, viewers have little choice but to make use of the ‘extra member’ options, trim the number of services they subscribe to, bundle up where possible, and periodically rotate. The a la carte future we spent years dreaming of is becoming much more expensive than just having satellite or cable.
