Just over a month after HBO Max’s chief executive mused that the service is “way too expensive,” the streamer is moving ahead with a price increase for each of its three tiers.
Starting today, the price of HBO Max Premium for new subscribers will increase to $22.99, an increase of $2 per month, while the annual rate for Premium will increase to $229.99, an increase of $20 per year. The step-down HBO Max Standard plan also gets a price increase to $18.49 per month, up from $1.50 per month, with the annual standard price going up to $184.99, an annual increase of $15. Finally, HBO Max Basic with ads now costs $10.99, a dollar more per month, while the annual rate for that plan increases to $ 109.99 per year, an increase of $10 per year.
Existing HBO Max monthly subscribers will see the price increases take effect on their next bills after November 20, 2025, while current annual subscription subscribers will remain at the previous rate until their subscription expires. according to Variety.
HBO Max’s Premium tier gives you four simultaneous 4K UHD streams with Dolby Atmos, where available, plus up to 100 downloads at once. The Standard plan offers two 1080p streams with 30 downloads simultaneously, while Basic with Ads offers two ad-supported 1080p streams without the downloads.
It’s been about 16 months since the last time HBO Max raised its prices. Back then – when HBO Max is still just called “Max” – both ad-free tiers received price increases, but the ad-supported tier remained unchanged. While the latest price hike for HBO Max arrived without warning for new customers, the streamer’s top executives telegraphed the move last month.
“The fact that this is quality – and that applies to our entire business, the quality of films, TV productions and streaming – we all think this gives us the opportunity to [the] price,” David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discover, said at the time. “We think we are way too expensive. We’re going to take our time.”
Apparently Zaslav’s promise to “take his time” only meant a little over a month.
HBO Max has seen a lot of changes since its previous price hike in June 2024. First came the decision in February to bring back HBO Max’s ad-tier offerings, with subscribers on the plan losing access to the Bleacher Report Sports add-on and streaming CNN content.
Then came the name change from “Max” back to HBO Max, which happened last summer. This move effectively reversed Warner Bros.’ ill-advised “Max” rebranding of the service. Discovery, which only lasted a few years, is undone.
Finally, HBO Max Standard and Premium subscribers learned that they would also lose access to CNN news streaming starting November 17, making way for the launch (or relaunch) next week of a new CNN streaming service.
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