Credit: Warner Bros. Discovery
It’s now more expensive than ever to stream shows like House of the Dragon and Hacks. On Tuesday, Oct. 21, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that all HBO Max subscription prices will increase, effective immediately. In fact, for some plans, it is now more expensive to subscribe to HBO Max than it is to subscribe to Netflix.
Here’s the deal: Prices are going up across all three of HBO Max’s subscription tiers. That includes the following:
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HBO Max Basic With Ads: $10.99 per month (was $9.99 per month), or $109.99 per year (was $99.99 per year)
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HBO Max Standard: $18.49 per month (was $16.99 per month), or $184.99 per year (was $169.99 per year)
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HBO Max Premium: $22.99 per month (was $20.99 per month), or $229.99 per year (was $209.99 per year)
These price points are now in effect for all new subscribers. Current monthly subscribers will be notified of the price hike, and will see increases on their next billing cycle, on or after Nov. 20, 2025. Similarly, annual subscribers will not see a price increase until their plans are up for renewal. If you signed up for an annual Premium subscription yesterday, for example, you’re locked into that $209.99 price until next year. If your annual Premium plan renews next month, however, you’ll be charged that extra $20.
This is, of course, the most expensive HBO Max has ever cost, and will be especially felt by any subscribers that pay for extra member accounts. In fact, HBO Max Basic With Ads and HBO Max Standard now costs more than Netflix with Ads and Netflix Standard, by quite a bit. Netflix with Ads is only $7.99 at this time, while Netflix Standard is $17.99. It costs $.50 more to subscribe to HBO Max Standard than Netflix Standard, and $3 more to subscribe to deal with HBO’s ads over Netflix’s. The only edge HBO Max still has is in the Premium category, as Netflix charges $24.99 for the privilege of 4K content with four concurrent streams at once.
What do you think so far?
If you’re looking at these price points, and are committed to only one streaming service at a time, you might be convinced to take the Netflix route. As such, Warner Bros. Discovery might be banking on the demand for its content over the dollar and cents here: Between series like The Last of Us, The Gilded Age, The Penguin, and The White Lotus, and content like Weapons and Peacemaker, HBO Max is host to some of the most talked-about shows. Maybe that will convince people to stick with the service even through these price hikes, especially as the Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is on the horizon.