Streaming fans, brace yourselves. HBO Max is hiking prices again. On October 21, 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that all subscription tiers would be increasing, marking the third consecutive year of price hikes.
The Basic with Ads plan jumps $1 to $10.99 per month, the Standard plan rises $1.50 to $18.49, and the Premium tier climbs $2 to $22.99 per month. New subscribers will see the new rates immediately, while current subscribers will start paying the updated prices on November 20, 2025.
Why has HBO Max possibly increased subscription prices?
HBO Max’s price hike is not just to pad the bottom line. CEO David Zaslav defended the move, pointing out that the service has been “way underpriced” considering the high-quality content it delivers.
With hits like Succession, Game of Thrones, and Peacemaker, the platform invests heavily in production and licensing. Zaslav argues that the new rates better reflect the value of what subscribers are getting.
“The fact that this is quality — and that’s true across our company, motion picture, TV production and and streaming quality — we all we think that gives us a chance to raise price,” “We think we’re way underpriced,” Zaslav said to The Hollywood Reporter.
Moreover, the streaming world as a whole is feeling the pinch from rising content costs and slower subscriber growth. Companies like HBO Max are tweaking their prices to stay profitable.
This has become pretty standard across the industry. Disney+, Apple TV+, and Netflix have all bumped up their rates recently. This shows that price hikes are becoming the new normal for streaming services.
Zaslav also revealed that HBO Max plans to crack down on password sharing starting this September. This follows a trend set by Netflix, which recently tightened its own password-sharing rules.
Under Netflix’s new “household” policy, devices can’t access the service unless they’re connected to a single registered Wi-Fi network.
In short, HBO Max’s price hikes come down to a variety of factors. These include investing in premium content, covering rising operational costs, and keeping pace with the wider trend of streaming services adjusting their subscription fees.
