- HBO Max plans to implement a global password crackdown…
- …but HBO Max could join Paramount+ after the planned merger
- HBO’s bonus member rate is currently US only.
HBO Max’s crackdown on account/password sharing is rolling out worldwide, unless the streaming service shuts down first. That’s according to HBO Max CEO and President of Global Streaming JB Perrette. Although he didn’t say that second.
Perrette was speaking to investors on the streamer’s latest earnings call and, as FlatpanelsHD reports, said: “We’re in the second inning of our password-sharing application. It’s just starting to gain scale. It hasn’t expanded globally at all. That will start in 2026.”
Or will it be? Because you can’t introduce a password crackdown on a streaming service if you don’t already have a streaming service. And right now, HBO Max’s future as an independent streamer is far from certain.
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What’s happening on HBO Max?
The future of HBO Max currently depends on whether regulators approve Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of HBO Max parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. According to at least one prominent media analyst, if this happens, HBO Max could shut down by the end of 2027.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has said that once the sale goes through, which is not yet final but seems highly likely, Paramount+ and HBO Max will be combined into a single streaming service with a new name, pricing structure and organization.
According to Variety’s Brian Steinberg, published in
It would be an odd move, given the prestige of the HBO brand: Warner CEO David Zaslav said last year that the HBO brand was “the highest quality in media,” and if you’re outside the US, where Paramount has its largest catalogue, then Paramount+ is pretty far down the list of the best streaming services.
But the naming shenanigans at HBO in recent years don’t make me confident that the final decision will be the smartest one.
Paramount+ isn’t currently cracking down on password sharing, but if you’re thinking the future Paramount+/HBO Max service will also be laissez faire, you’ll probably be disappointed: The combined company will be $79 billion in debt and is expected to embark on a round of cost-cutting that includes layoffs.
That means it’s much more likely to keep the $7.99/month add-on member fee and charge a similar one worldwide than to eliminate it.
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