The HBO Max logo and a person holding an Amazon Fire TV remote.

By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice

HBO Max is raising its subscription costs as the latest streaming service to implement price hikes.

Warner Bros. Discovery announced that the HBO Max Basic with Ads plan will rise to $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year. The Standard plan will climb to $18.49 per month or $184.99 per year, while the Premium plan will cost $22.99 per month or $229.99 per year. 

The higher prices go into effect for new subscribers on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Current customers will pay the higher prices after their next billing cycle on or after Thursday, Nov. 20.

Each increase adds between $1 and $2 monthly, or $10 to $20 annually. Customers who subscribe through third-party providers will be notified separately.

The price hike follows similar moves by other major streamers as competition increases across the industry. Disney+, Peacock, Apple TV, and Netflix have all raised prices in 2025, while HBO Max changed its name back after being simply named "Max" since 2023.

Warner Bros. Discovery said it's exploring a sale after receiving "unsolicited interest" from other companies. Prospective buyers of WBD include Comcast, Netflix, and Paramount Skydance, CNBC reported.

At the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference in September, CEO David Zaslav pushed for higher HBO Max costs, TechCrunch reported.

"The fact that this is quality — and that's true across our company, motion picture, TV production, and streaming quality — we all think that gives us a chance to raise prices," said Zaslav. "We think we're way underpriced."

Zaslav also confirmed WBD's plans to introduce password-sharing restrictions on HBO Max, joining Netflix and Disney+ in cracking down on account sharing.