Skip to main content

HBO Max prices to soar in 2023 following merger with Discovery Plus

Just days after we crowned HBO Max the TV streamer of the year at the 2022 TechRadar Choice Awards, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has some bad news for new and existing HBO Max subscribers. 

Following the platform’s merger with Discovery Plus in 2023, HBO Max subscription prices will almost certainly head “north,” WBD CEO JB Perrette has confirmed. Additionally, the ad load on its cheaper, ad-supported subscription tier could potentially double.

The revelations were made during WBD’s recent Q3 earnings call with Wall Street analysts, and came after the company reported lower-than-expectation results. Between July and September this year, the WBD direct-to-consumer portfolio – which includes HBO, HBO Max and Discovery Plus – added just 2.8 million new subscribers. The company’s global subscriber total now stands at just shy of 95 million – some 57 million behind Disney Plus (152 million) and a whopping 128 million behind Netflix (223 million). 

Evidently, WBD executives are planning to respond to the slowdown by putting a premium price tag on the company's still-unnamed super streamer, which is due to launch between March and June next year.

More content, higher price

The standard tier of HBO Max currently costs $15 per month, a price that has remained static since the platform’s launch in May 2020. The ad-supported tier of HBO Max – which debuted in June 2021 – costs $9.99 per month.

It’s not clear whether Perrette’s allusion to prices heading “north” refers to both the standard and ad-supported tiers of HBO Max. However, since the amount of content offered by both versions of the streamer is likely to increase following the creation of WBD’s super streamer, it’s almost certain that prices will be hiked across the board. 

That’s Perrette’s justification for the impending increases, anyway. Speaking to Wall Street analysts, the WBD CEO noted that the blending of HBO Max with Discovery Plus will create a streaming product that’s suitable for entire households, rather than just individual users. 

This sentiment chimes with what we’ve heard Perrette claim previously about WBD’s in-development new streamer. Speaking in August 2022, the CEO confirmed that the service in question will bring the extensive portfolios of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. under one streaming roof to provide “something for everyone”. At present, WBD’s network offering includes HBO, CNN, DC Comics, Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV, Magnolia Network, OWN, TBS and TNT.

Matt Smith in House of the Dragon

Despite its popularity, HBO's House of the Dragon failed to trigger a surge in new HBO Max subscriptions. (Image credit: HBO)

Explaining how the new streamer will prove greater than the sum of its parts, Perrette has also said: “HBO Max has a competitive feature set, but has had performance and customer issues. Discovery Plus has best-in-class performance and consumer ratings, but more limited features. Our combined service will focus on delivering the best of both.” 

Clearly, then, WBD sees its new streamer as a more valuable offering than HBO Max and Discovery Plus as standalone products – and subscribers will be expected to pay for that superior value. 

Touching on the subject of ads, Perrette also noted, during the company’s recent earnings call: “Today, we have two to three minutes of ads on HBO Max ‘ad-light,’ about half of what we have on Discovery Plus, so as we roll out the new combined products, we have almost 100% growth of new inventory available to us as we look to combine the ads of those two products.”

In other words, the ad-supported tier of HBO Max – in whatever guise it appears following the merger with Discovery Plus – is getting more ads. Of course, this tier is likely to remain significantly cheaper than the ad-free version of the new streamer, but that won't come as much relief to the millions of subscribers who are already signed up for the cheaper tier of HBO Max.

For more HBO Max-based content, check out our best HBO Max shows, best HBO Max documentaries, and best HBO Max movies articles.



Source: TechRadar

Popular posts from this blog

Apple Releases First Public Beta of tvOS 17

Apple today seeded the first beta of the upcoming tvOS 17 update to its public beta testing group, allowing the general public to download and test the update ahead of its September launch. Public beta testers can download the tvOS 17 beta by opening up the Settings app on Apple TV , choosing the Software Updates section under System, and then toggling on the Get Public Beta Updates option. Signing up on Apple's public beta website is also required. tvOS 17 adds FaceTime to the ‌Apple TV‌, with an iPhone or iPad serving as the camera. The ‌FaceTime‌ interface shows up on the bigger display of the TV, and Center Stage keeps you front and center as you move around the room. There's even a Split View option so you can use ‌FaceTime‌ while watching TV or playing a game on the other part of the screen. There's a revamped Control Center that makes it quicker to get to key settings and information without needing to go into the Settings app, plus it supports useful sho

Apple Releases macOS Ventura 13.4.1 With Security Fixes

Apple today released macOS Ventura 13.4, a minor update for the ‌macOS Ventura‌ operating system that was released last October. ‌macOS Ventura‌ 13.4.1 comes more than a month after the launch of macOS Ventura 13.4 . The ‌‌‌‌‌macOS Ventura‌‌‌‌‌ 13.4.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. According to Apple's release notes, the update provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users. Apple has also released macOS 11.7.8 and macOS 12.6.7 security updates for those who are unable to run Ventura. Related Roundup: macOS Ventura Related Forum: macOS Ventura This article, " Apple Releases macOS Ventura 13.4.1 With Security Fixes " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums Source: TechRadar

Apple Says 128GB iPhone 15 Pro Limited to 1080p ProRes Video Recording Unless External Storage Connected

ProRes video recording remains limited to 1080p quality at 30 frames per second on the 128GB model of the iPhone 15 Pro, unless the device is recording directly to a connected external storage drive , according to Apple. On the 256GB and higher iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, ProRes video recording is supported in up to 4K quality at 60 frames per second to both internal storage and external storage. Apple does not mention this information on the iPhone 15 Pro's tech specs page on its website, but the limitation is listed when comparing the iPhone 15 Pro to another iPhone model in the Apple Store app, as seen in the screenshot below. The same limitation applied to iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro models with 128GB of storage, but those devices cannot record ProRes video to external storage, so at least iPhone 15 Pro users have that option this time around. The limitation does not apply to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, as that model starts with 256GB of storage. ProRes video fi

Relay FM Launches Fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and in recognition of this important cause, well-known podcast network Relay FM has launched its annual fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , located in Memphis, Tennessee. Since 2019, the Relay FM community has raised over $2.2 million for the hospital. St. Jude's mission statement: The mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay. Relay FM has multiple Apple-related podcasts, such as Connected , hosted by Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley, and Federico Viticci. Hackett's son received treatment at St. Jude as an infant, so this initiative is near and dear to him . Donations can be made on the Relay FM for St. Jude website , with rewards such as Relay