Max Announces Password Sharing Crackdown and ‘Yellowstone’ Returns This Week in Streaming
Warner Bros. Discovery also announced the subscriber totals for Max.
Warner Bros. Discovery held its quarterly earnings conference call this week and despite already expecting big subscriber numbers for streamer Max, its third quarter was better than anticipated. Get all the latest details about the company’s third-quarter earnings, updates on its password-sharing crackdown plans, and more.
Plus, from a brand-new political thriller adaptation to the return of one of TV’s most-talked about shows, get our watch recommendations for the coming weekend and week!
This Week’s Biggest Streaming News:
Max Surpasses Subscriber Expectations, More Password Sharing Teases
During the company’s third-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, Warner Bros. Discovery executives revealed the company’s streamer Max added 7.2 million new customers, beating the previous estimate of 6 million from CEO David Zaslav in September. Max, which offers the combined libraries of Warner Bros., Discovery, HBO, Cartoon Network, A24, and more, now has 110.5 million global subscribers, with viewers in the United States and Canada making up less than half of that total (52.6 million versus 57.9 million international).
The next steps for the company aren’t as concrete as the subscriber tallies (or average revenue per user, which came in this quarter at $7.84, down from $8 last quarter), but its executives and CEO believe there will be big changes coming soon. Zaslav also spoke on the Thursday call about his continued goal of media and entertainment consolidation, sharing his opinion on how Trump’s reelection could potentially affect future mergers and acquisition attempts across the entertainment industry. The CEO has had a lot of experience on both sides of the coin, coming up big with the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger in 2022 but hitting a wall in merger attempts with Paramount earlier this year.
For all of Max’s 110.5 million subscribers, the company also provided brief further updates on its password-sharing crackdown plans, which it’s been teasing for several months. While still not providing any definitive information, WBD promised it would roll the rules out before the end of 2024 and that the restrictions would include some kind of paid sharing option or price increase for additional viewers, echoing previous reports it would create a sharing plan for around $10.
Other restrictions and stipulations have yet to be publicly fleshed out, but you can expect them to be similar to Netflix and Disney+’s password-sharing crackdowns.
Catch up on our recent stories related to Warner Bros. Discovery’s third-quarter earnings update:
- Max Posts Massive Subscriber Increase in Q3 2024, Jumping to 110.5 Million Globally
- Warner Bros. Discovery to Reveal Max Password-Sharing Details Soon
- WBD’s David Zaslav Optimistic About Industry Consolidation After Trump Election
- Paramount Talked Merger With Warner Bros. Discovery for Months
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with 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. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.
What To Stream This Weekend: “Yellowstone” Returns
It’s been a long road back to the screen for the Dutton family, but for the first time since Jan. 1, 2023, “Yellowstone” will finally air a new episode this weekend.
Season 5, Part 2 of Taylor Sheridan’s contemporary Western drama will premiere this Sunday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. ET, following a tumultuous almost-two years of public production woes. And while previous headliner Kevin Costner is not expected to return for the rest of the season’s continuation, there’s still plenty of family drama at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
The new part will focus on newlywed couple Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). At the end of Season 5, Part 1, Beth and her father John (Costner) were conspiring to snuff out Beth’s brother Jamie (Wes Bentley), while Jamie himself was also plotting to rub out his father and sister’s demise. As John manages business as the newly-elected governor of Montana, the feud between the children threatens to boil over at any minute, and who knows yet who will survive the fight.
Watch the trailer for ‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Part 2 below:
Despite all the starts, stops, cancellations, and reversals, there is a sixth season of “Yellowstone” (plus multiple spinoffs) in the works. New episodes of “Yellowstone” will air weekly through the Season 5 finale on Dec. 15.
“Yellowstone” airs exclusively on Paramount Network, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to stream the series’ return. The channel is available on several live TV streaming services, including DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV, Philo, and more— find out our top pick for watching Paramount Network without cable!
Yellowstone
Follow the violent world of the Dutton family, who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. Led by their patriarch John Dutton, the family defends their property against constant attack by land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first National Park.
What to Stream Next Week: Eddie Redmayne Stars in “The Day of the Jackal”
Eddie Redmayne heads back to the small screen for the first time in over a decade and takes on an all-new identity: The Jackal.
This coming Thursday, Nov. 14, get ready for the Peacock premiere of “The Day of the Jackal,” a miniseries adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s classic political thriller. Redmayne makes his action genre debut in this modern adaptation as an assassin known to most as The Jacka— and well-known he is, as both the most effective and most expensive assassin in all of Europe. The Jackal has so far in his career been uncatchable, carrying out his assignments, disappearing without a trace, and dodging law enforcement and military agencies adeptly.
That is until, after his latest job, The Jackal attracts the attention of a dogged, determined British intelligence officer (Lashana Lynch), who is willing to chase The Jackal around the world until she brings him to justice.
This marks the second direct screen adaptation of Forsyth’s novel, following the 1973 film adaptation starring Edward Fox. The TV update also stars Úrsula Corberó, Chukwudi Iwuji, Khalid Abdalla, Lia Williams, Eleanor Matsuura, Charles Dance, Richard Dormer, and more.
The first five episodes of the exciting new series, which has already been well-received by critics and fans alike after its premiere across the pond, will be available to stream on Peacock on Thursday, Nov. 14, followed by a new episode every Thursday through Dec. 12.
Don’t miss any of the action: set your sights on a subscription to Peacock!
The Day of the Jackal
An unrivalled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal, makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake.