Summary
- Max is raising prices on its ad-free plans by $1 per month for new subscribers on both monthly and annual plans, effective immediately.
- Existing subscribers will see the increase go into effect after July 4, 2024.
- Despite Max’s ad-free price hike, the ad-supported plan remains the same at $9.99 per month.
Max, formerly known as HBO Max, is one of the most popular streaming services in the US, offering top TV shows and movies from HBO, Warner Bros., and the Discovery Channel. However, if you’re planning to stream the new season of House of the Dragon on Max later this month, there might be some bad news. Max has become the latest streaming service to raise the prices of some of its subscription plans, and for some viewers, they go into effect as early as today.
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The company announced today that it is increasing the prices of its ad-free plans by $1 per month. The standard ad-free plan is now $16.99 per month, up from $15.99, while the 4K ad-free plan will now cost $20.99 per month, up from $19.99. The price increase is effective immediately for new subscribers, while existing subscribers will see the increase after July 4, 2024.
Yearly plans are also affected, with the standard ad-free plan going up to $169.99 per year from $149.99 and the 4K ad-free plan increasing to $209.99 per year from $199.99. Fortunately, the ad-supported plan remains the same at $9.99 per month (or $99.99 per year). This is the second time Max has increased prices for its plans in the past year.
Max is the latest streaming platform to jump on the price-hike bandwagon
Price hikes in the streaming world are nothing new. Services like Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Prime Video have all raised their prices in the past year. And the price increases aren’t even limited to video streaming services — popular music streaming service Spotify also raised its prices for subscribers in the US just yesterday.
For those wondering what Max’s ad-free plans offer, the standard ad-free plan allows streaming on two devices in full HD and includes up to 30 downloadable titles for offline viewing. The unlimited ad-free plan lets you stream on up to four devices simultaneously, increases the quality to 4K with Dolby Atmos, and allows up to 100 downloads. Although Max’s 4K plan falls just short of Netflix’s pricing, it goes to show streaming has never been more expensive — and those prices aren’t coming down anytime soon.
