Summary
- HBO Max raised subscription prices across all three tiers, with the Premium plan seeing the steepest increase of $2 USD to $22.99 USD monthly
- The price hike is effective immediately for new subscribers, with existing customers seeing the change applied on or after November 20, 2025
- The company justified the increase by citing the platform’s content value, amidst an industry-wide trend of rising streaming costs
HBO Max has announced another major subscription price increase, effective immediately for new subscribers. This marks the third time in three years that the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service has raised its prices, reflecting a broader trend of streaming platforms prioritizing profitability.
The hike affects all three subscription tiers. The Basic With Ads plan increases by $1 USD to $10.99 USD per month. The ad-free Standard plan sees a $1.50 USD jump to $18.49 USD monthly, while the Premium plan—which includes 4K streaming and the highest number of downloads—gets the steepest bump, rising $2 USD to $22.99 USD per month. Annual subscriptions will also increase accordingly. Existing subscribers will see the new rates applied to their renewals on or after November 20, 2025.
The company justified the increase by citing the value of its high-quality content, with CEO David Zaslav previously arguing that the platform had been “way underpriced.” However, the price increase coincides with a fresh push to crack down on password sharing and arrives on the same day as a similar hike from Disney+, underscoring the escalating cost of premium streaming.
