- HBO Max plans to roll out its password cracker globally…
- …but HBO Max may be folded into Paramount+ after the planned merger
- HBO’s additional membership fee is currently US only
HBO Max’s crackdown on account/password sharing is rolling out worldwide unless the streaming service is shut down first. This is according to HBO Max CEO and President of Global Streaming, JB Perrette. Although he didn’t say otherwise.
Speaking to investors on the streamer’s recent earnings call, Perrette said, as FlatpanelsHD reports, “We’re in the second phase of our password sharing enforcement. It’s just starting to scale. It hasn’t expanded globally at all. It will start in 2026.”
Or will it? Because you cannot introduce a password crack on a streaming service if you no longer have a streaming service. And right now, HBO Max’s future as an independent streamer is far from certain.
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What’s happening on HBO Max?
HBO Max’s future currently depends on whether regulators approve the acquisition of HBO Max’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, by Paramount Skydance. According to at least one prominent media analyst, if it goes ahead, HBO Max could be shut down by the end of 2027.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has said that once the sale goes through — which has yet to be determined but appears highly likely — Paramount+ and HBO Max will be combined into a single streaming service with a new name, pricing structure and organization.
According to Variety’s Brian Steinberg, posting on X, a research note by MoffettNathanson analyst Robert Fishman tells investors that “We expect HBO Max to be essentially shut down by the end of 2027”.
It would be an odd move given HBO’s brand cachet: Warner CEO David Zaslav said last year that the HBO brand was “the highest quality in media,” and if you’re outside the US, where Paramount has its biggest catalog, Paramount+ comes pretty low on the list of top streaming services.
But the naming of HBO in recent years doesn’t make me sure that the final decision will be the smartest.
Paramount+ isn’t currently cracking down on password sharing, but if you think the future Paramount+/HBO Max service will also be laissez faire, you’re likely to be disappointed: The combined company will carry a reported $79 billion in debt and is expected to embark on a round of cost-cutting, including layoffs.
That means you’re much more likely to keep the extra $7.99/month membership fee and charge a similar one worldwide than scrap it.
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