Streaming service Max will try harder to keep customers from sharing their passwords and hinted that price increases could follow.
At Warner Bros. Discovery’s third-quarter earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels said Max this year will push back against password sharing with gentle messaging, prompting users signed in on multiple devices to pay a little extra.
He said Max will roll out the new messaging at the end of 2024 and will continue with the strategy going into 2025. He also implied Max could raise the cost of its basic and premium tiers.
Max leadership announced in March it was heading toward a password change in the wake of similar policies at rival streamers Netflix and Disney+.
Netflix and Disney began their crackdown on password sharing by asking customers to pay a little extra for their multiple screens before rolling out more expensive subscription models that added more users.
The password clamp has coincided with the rise of tiered subscriptions on streaming platforms. Over the past few years, Netflix, Amazon Prime and Max have added new subscription models that add or remove features based on price.
The new subscription models have mostly paid off for streamers, letting them customize their experience. Max specifically reported over 7 million new users in the last quarter.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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