Max paves the way for its password-sharing crackdown

Password sharing among multiple users has been in the spotlight of big players in the streaming segment. The companies spotted the niche of people who used the service for “free” while others paid as a new potential source of income to exploit. Max also plans to implement a password-sharing crackdown in the near future, and we now have more details about it.

Max will begin its strategy to implement password-sharing crackdown; aims to 2026

There was still no information on when Max will start charging an extra fee for account sharing. Other direct rivals, such as Disney Plus and Netflix, have already been doing so for some time. Both companies have implemented a gradual strategy, including notices about future fees for adding additional members to their accounts. It appears that Max plans to employ a similar strategy before implementing the measure in 2026.

Gunnar Wiedenfels, Warner Bros. Discovery’s chief financial officer, spoke to investors during the company’s latest Q3 earnings call. The executive said that they will kick off their strategy this year and continue it in 2025. However, that doesn’t mean the company will start charging for additional users in the coming months. The initial phase of Max’s password-sharing crackdown will involve a “very soft messaging” campaign about the upcoming change. This stage has lasted about a year on other platforms.

Netflix rolled out the password-sharing crackdown gradually. The company implemented the change in select regions first and later brought it to users globally. It’s not yet known if Max will do something similar or if it will roll out the measure to everyone from the start.

Potential new price increase hinted

If you thought the Max password-sharing crackdown was bad news, there’s more. Wiedenfels also hinted at a potential price increase for the platform’s plans. He claims there’s “a fair amount of room to continue to push a price we’ve been judicious about.” The executive says the “premium nature” of Max’s content allows for it. It’s noteworthy that Max already increased prices in June of this year.