Max is preparing to impose restrictions on password sharing.
First it was Netflix, then Disney Plus, and now Max is arriving.
Max is preparing to implement restrictions on password sharing in the coming months, beginning with a "soft communications" approach regarding the situation. During Warner Bros. Discovery's third-quarter earnings call, Gunnar Wiedenfels, the company's CFO, mentioned that this first step will be followed by significant developments in 2025 and 2026.
Wiedenfels described password sharing as a form of "price increase," as the company is "asking members who have not registered, or those who share accounts across multiple households, to pay a little more." This announcement is not new, as Max had already shown interest in addressing this phenomenon, but now more details are provided about the start and methodology of this process.
In March, JB Perrette, Warner Bros. Discovery’s global streaming and games chief, indicated that Max would begin these restrictions "later this year and in 2025." Max's strategy appears to be very similar to the one implemented by Disney Plus, which communicated with its users about account sharing before introducing its "extra member" option. Similarly, Netflix also started requiring its users to pay for password sharing last year.
Wiedenfels did not rule out the possibility of a price increase for Max, noting that the service's "premium nature" offers "a good margin to continue adjusting prices prudently." It is worth remembering that in June, Max had already raised the costs of its ad-free plans. During the same call, David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, expressed the company's intention to achieve "more consistency" in its film and gaming businesses, especially after the "disappointing" results of Joker: Folie à Deux.
