HBO Max Announces First Price Hike

HBO Max is getting more expensive.

Warner Bros. Discovery announced Thursday it was raising the price of the streaming service for the first time.

Beginning today (January 12), the ad-free subscription cost has been changed to $15.99 per month.

Existing subscribers will see the new price effective from their next billing cycle on or after Saturday, February 11, 2023.

"This price increase of one dollar will allow us to continue to invest in providing even more culture-defining programming and improving our customer experience for all users," the streaming service said in a statement.

The price hike sends the streaming service to the #1 spot, eclipsing Netflix's $15.49 for its highest tier.

Most streaming services have been increasing their prices of late, with Apple TV+ rising 40% and Disney+ going from $8 to $11 for its ad-free offering.

Netflix, meanwhile, has increased its price several times over the last six years.

News of HBO Max's price hike comes ahead of its planned merge with Discovery+, where the content from both countries will be available in one unified app.

That is set to launch in the coming months.

The company took a lot of heat for canceling several projects in 2022, including Batgirl, which was said to have completed much of its production.

The network also reversed renewals for Minx and cut several shows that had already aired from the service, including Sesame Street Episodes, The Nevers, and several more.

One of the more surprising cancellations was Westworld, which got canceled after four seasons.

Plans were in place for a fifth and final season, but Warner Bros. Discovery killed the show due to cost-saving measures and the fact that the ratings for the show were not improving.

What are your thoughts on the news?

Will you continue to keep HBO Max?

Hit the comments.