Well, that was a good run—more than a year of Max without any price hikes. (Yay?) But now, the break’s over.
As promised during Warner Bros. Discovery’s recent quarterly earning call, Max just announced it will raise subscription rates, although not everyone will have to pay more.
Specifically, it’s ad-free Max subscribers who will soon have to pay extra, while the monthly price of Max’s ad-supported plan will remain unchanged.
Here’s how it breaks down:
- Max Ad-Free: The Max tier that offers ad-free streaming in HD is going up $1 a month, to $16.99 a month. For a year of Max Ad-Free, you’ll now pay $169.99 a year, up $20 a year.
- Max Ultimate Ad-Free: The 4K tier of Max will also be a buck more a month, for a new $20.00 monthly rate. The annual Max Ad-Free Ultimate plan, which used to cost $199.99 a year, now goes for $209.99/year.
Meanwhile, the price for Max Ad-Lite will stay at $9.99 a month, or $99.99 a year.
Max’s price hikes go into effect immediately for new subscribers, while current subscribers will see their prices go up on their next billing date after July 4, 2024, according to an emailed press release.
News of the Max price increase hits a little less than two weeks before the season premiere of House of the Dragon, Max’s blockbuster Game of Thrones prequel. Coincidence? We think not.
Max Ad-Free, if you recall, offers two concurrent streams at 1080p with 5.1-channel audio, along with up to 30 offline downloads.
Max Ultimate Ad-Free ups the ante to four 4K streams with Dolby Vision and Atmos, plus up to 100 offline downloads.
Finally, there’s Max Ad-Lite, which serves up two 1080p streams with advertisements and no downloads.
Max hasn’t raised its subscription rates since last May, when the former HBO Max rebranded as “Max” and rolled out a revamped pricing scheme, including the new and pricier Ultimate Ad-Free plan.
The arrival of the Ultimate Ad-Free plan, which originally cost $19.99 a month came with its fair share of controversy, as it became the only way to stream Max in 4K.
Previously, the sole ad-free plan for the former HBO Max offered 4K streaming for just $15.99 a month.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer, TechHive
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he has covered everything from smart speakers and soundbars to smart lights and security cameras. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature.