With the current distribution of content throughout the available streaming services, subscribing to only could mean that you would miss out on a lot of films and TV shows. To access them all, you have to subscribe to more than one service, but it is becoming increasingly expensive to do so.
Max's Upcoming Subscription Price Hike
Many would say that streaming services are now part of their monthly budget, and it's getting harder to pass it off as an extra expense since their allotted monthly fee is already exceeding $50. For those subscribing to Max, formerly known as HBO Max, that price might go up.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of the streaming service, is reportedly planning to implement a price increase. It's unclear how much the fee hike would be and when it will take effect, but it could happen as early as this coming Thursday, as mentioned in Engadget.
The last price increase that Max announced was back in early 2023, effectively adding $1 to the cheapest ad-free plan. Warner Bros. is still on a mission to cut costs for the company, which might be the explanation for the price increase.
The entertainment giant intends to achieve $1 billion in earnings for both Max and Discovery+ next year. Unfortunately, the increasing prices might not be enough to achieve that goal, and more layoffs might be in the company's future.
The last downsizing efforts from Max were around August 2023, and although the number of employees affected was not indicated, reports from Variety say that the job cuts are in the double digits. This time around, there might be more and it may not be the last.
Warner Bros. Discovery is still catching up to its $50 billion debt, which happened after WarnerMedia and Discovery merged in 2022. This resulted in canceled projects, shut down streaming services, and shelved content.
The Increasing Monthly Costs of Streaming Services
Subscribing to services like Netflix and Disney+ used to be the cheaper option for many consumers who were still paying for cable, which motivated a lot of people to cut cords and opt for online streaming instead.
However, the balance has since changed, and subscribing to several streaming services is becoming more expensive. According to Gizmodo, a US household now pays around $61 per month for streaming, which is a 27% increase from last year.
After surveying more than 3,500 American consumers, a report said that consumers are already starting to reach their limit. Streaming services are close to losing the point as an alternative, given that it is already between the price range of cable which is $50 to $85 a month.
It doesn't help that one by one, services are starting to crack down on password sharing, which is forcing people to make their own accounts if they live in different households. There are also cheaper plans turning into ad-tiers, which leaves people who loathe ads no other choice but to choose a more expensive ad-free plan.
