Warner Bros. Discovery to Reveal Max Password-Sharing Details Soon
Company officials said they would talk more in-depth about their plans to crack down on account sharing in the current quarter.
Warner Bros. Discovery is the next company in line to crack down on the sharing of passwords for users of its streaming service Max. The company has been teasing its rules against account sharing for several months, pledging to roll them out near the end of 2024. During the company’s conference call to discuss its third-quarter earnings, officials briefly discussed those plans once again, saying that more details would be available soon.
Key Details:
- WBD says it will unveil more details about its password-sharing rules in the current quarter.
- Paid sharing options are on the way, as previously reported.
- A rollout of password-sharing rules is likely to come quickly after details are made public.
WBD officials promised during the earnings call to share more information about rules against the sharing of accounts between now and the end of 2024. A survey from 2022 found that 14% of all Max customers at that time were getting access to the streamer — then called HBO Max — via someone else’s account.
Company executives did reveal that the restrictions would include some type of price increase for viewers who were letting someone else use their subscription. That acknowledgement confirmed earlier reports which stated that a paid sharing option would be available.
According to those reports, WBD will create a paid sharing plan that lets viewers pay less than $10 per month — the price for a new, ad-supported Max subscription — to allow someone outside their household to access their account.
What else will be in the Max password-sharing restrictions? They’ll probably resemble rules put in place by Disney and Netflix. Viewers will only be able to access their particular subscription in their household or will be asked to enter a special access code sent to the email used to create their account if they try to log in while traveling. Those who aren’t paid members and try to get into a paying customer’s account will likely get a message prompting them to create their own.
WBD will likely introduce its password-sharing restrictions soon after informing viewers of what they will be, so subscribers should be ready. Max is one of the most-shared streaming services of all, but viewers will soon have to either pay a little more to share their accounts outside their homes or tell friends and family using their accounts to get their own.
Max
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