Warner Bros. initially launched HBO Max, now titled Max, to follow the success of other such streaming services including Netflix. Now Warner Bros. Discovery is set to follow another trend and begin a password-sharing crackdown for Max.
We’ve already seen major password-sharing crackdowns on both Netflix and Disney Plus. Now other platforms are following their footsteps. As for Max, via Variety, it looks like a top executive shared the service “will begin enforcing restrictions on subscribers sharing accounts outside their household starting this year.”
The outlet adds that J.B. Perrette, president/CEO of global streaming and games at Warner Bros. Discovery, shared as much while speaking at the 2024 Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom conference. Here’s what he shared:
“Obviously Netflix has implemented [that] extremely successfully,” Perrette shared, referring to their password crackdown. “We’re going to be doing that starting later this year and into ’25, which is another growth opportunity for us.”
Though he is hesitant to compare themselves to closely to Netflix or expect their levels of success:
“I’m conscious of not overselling it,” he added, “but we think relative the scale of our business it’s a meaningful opportunity.”
It’s worth noting that this could also result in the termination of violators. Here’s what was pointed out by Variety:
“According to Max’s terms of use, most recently updated Feb. 27, Warner Bros. Discovery reserves the right to ‘modify access or disable features, including for security reasons, to limit the impact of account sharing outside of your household or where we have concluded in our discretion that there has been misuse of your Max Account. If a suspension or termination occurs, you must stop using the Platform.'”
We’ll have to see what this means for Max as they also incorporate other price changes and alterations to better compete in the streaming market. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding Max and the plans for the password-sharing crackdown as we have them. For now, it’ll be interesting to see how the streaming industry continues to transform with all of these changes.