HBO Max Joins the Password Sharing Crackdown Wave
Warner Bros. Discovery is gearing up for a major crackdown on password sharing for HBO Max, following in the footsteps of Netflix and Disney+. JB Perrette, head of streaming and gaming at the company, revealed plans to aggressively tackle the issue starting next month.
During an earnings call, Perette explained that HBO Max will roll out stricter messaging to discourage password sharing. The company is also working to eliminate loopholes that allow unauthorized account access by the end of the year. Currently, the warnings are lenient, but they will soon become more rigid, requiring users to take action rather than ignore them.
Perette noted that the company has been testing methods to identify legitimate versus illegitimate users. The financial impact of these measures is expected to materialize in the fourth quarter of this year, with significant gains anticipated in 2026.
Despite frequent rebranding, HBO Max has maintained strong growth, adding 3.4 million new subscribers this quarter. The move to curb password sharing isn’t a sign of struggle but rather a strategic effort to maximize revenue from its expanding user base.
Netflix pioneered this approach in 2023, and Disney+ followed suit last year. Now, HBO Max is the latest streaming giant to tighten the reins on account sharing, signaling an industry-wide shift toward stricter enforcement.
