Max subscribers can now add users who don’t live in their home for $8 per month
Max subscribers can now add users who don’t live in their home for $8 per month
The move comes as Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to maximize the profit potential of its flagship streaming service.
Account sharing has been a thorn in the collective craw of streaming executives for years, and each company has tried to figure out its own unique way to maximize subscription income without alienating users who had grown accustomed to using someone else’s password. On Tuesday, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that in an effort to provide subscribers more flexibility in how they manage who does and doesn’t have access to their account, the company’s flagship streaming service Max would be introducing a new Extra Member Add-On feature.
Key Details:
- More the merrier: Max is now allowing many subscribers to add users to their accounts who live outside their home.
- Subscription savings: Each extra account will cost $8 monthly and will have access to nearly of the same features as the main account.
- Profile transfer: Users being added will be able to transfer their existing profiles to the new account to maintain watch history, settings, and more.
This new feature will allow the primary account holder to invite anyone outside of their home to share their account. These add-on members will be for adult profiles and will cost $8 per month, which is $2 to $13 less than signing up for their own account. The extra user will be entitled to almost all of the benefits found on the primary account. So, if the account owner is signed up for an ad-supported profile, the added member will stream titles with ads as well.
However, if the account owner is subscribed to the Ultimate Ad-Free plan, the other users will not only stream ad-free but will also enjoy all of the perks of the subscription, including high-definition 4K resolution. The one area where this is not true is that add-on users will only be able to stream on one device at a time, negating the simultaneous stream benefits of the main plans.
“Extra Member Add-On and Profile Transfer are two key Max advancements, designed to help viewers with a new way to enjoy our best-in-class content at an exceptional value, and offer subscribers greater flexibility in managing their accounts,” WBD CEO and president of global streaming JB Perrette said. “These updates provide a simple way for subscribers to add-on a new member to their account, or for existing subscribers who have users outside of their household to smoothly, and in an uninterrupted fashion, transition their profile so that extra member can continue to access Max.”
The Extra Member Add-On is available to all account owners who subscribe directly to Max, and are therefore billed through WBD. That means that customers who have signed up for the service via a bundle, through a third-party platform, or have access from their cell phone or internet provider are not currently eligible.
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For members whose accounts qualify, they can go to their Max account settings to take advantage of the Extra Member Add-On. Once the extra account has been purchased, the account owner will be able to invite new users via their mobile app or web profile settings. If the user being added already has a Max account, they will be able to transfer their profile to the new account to preserve their watch history, recommendations, and other settings associated with their previous account.
This move comes almost exactly one year after WBD first announced that it would take steps to address password-sharing in order to combat users who were watching Max without paying. The announcement also arrives more than two years after Netflix became the first major streaming service to make substantive changes to curb password and account sharing. Similarly, last fall, Disney+ revealed that in order to include users who do not live in the same home as the account holder, they would have to pay an extra $7 per month, just $1 less than Max ultimately landed on.
HBO Max
HBO Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library and exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Within HBO Max, B/R Sports allows users to watch live NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.