HBO Max’s loss is your gain, as the streamer—stung by its recent departure from Amazon Channels this week—serves up a half-off deal on its ad-free plan, for both new and returning subscribers.
Starting now, you can sign up for HBO Max’s ad-free tier for $7.49 a month, or 50 percent off the usual $14.99 going rate, and yes, that deal applies even if you’ve previously signed up with the streaming service. The offer is valid through September 26.
The catch is that the deal won’t last forever. Once you sign up for the half-off promotion, you’ll have access to HBO Max for the discounted rate for the first six months of your subscription. After that, the price will return to the standard $14.99 a month.
You can sign up for the deal at HBOMax.com, as well as through such platforms as Apple iTunes, Google, Roku, LG, Microsoft, Sony, and Vizio.
The deal follows HBO Max’s exit from Amazon Channels, with Amazon informing those who had signed up for HBO Max through its Prime Video channels platforms that their subscriptions would be cancelled as of this week.
That meant that in one fell swoop, HBO Max lost roughly 5 million subscribers, as The Hollywood Reporter notes. So it’s little wonder that HBO Max is scrambling to lure those eyeballs back.
HBO Max left Amazon Channels as part of its agreement with Amazon to bring the HBO Max app to Amazon’s Fire TV devices. HBO Max parent WarnerMedia wants the HBO Max app to be the “primary entry point” for incoming subscribers rather than any third-party platforms, such as Amazon Channels, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But part of the deal involves first cancelling all those Amazon Channels signups, which entails HBO Max losing a hefty chunk of its subscribers, at least temporarily.
Besides its ad-free tier, HBO Max offers a cheaper, ad-supported plan for $10 a month.
HBO Max’s 50-percent-off deal comes just in time for the arrival of Cry Macho, the latest film from 91-year-old (!) Clint Eastwood, which is debuting “day and date” on HBO Max and in theaters.