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Some of the biggest streaming services have made a concerted effort to prevent users from sharing their login credentials with people who prefer to avoid paying to watch their offerings. HBO Max spent years turning a blind eye to that practice, but the good times are on the verge of coming to an end.
There was once a point in my life where I was able to access everything Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max had to offer without having to fork over a single cent for that privilege, and I know I’m far from the only person who can make a similar claim.
It took longer than it probably should have for those companies to crack down on the many, many people who managed to gain access to their catalogues with the help of the paying customers who supplied them with their passwords at some point in time, but the biggest streaming giants eventually wised up in an effort to boost their bottom line.
In 2023, Netflix became the first domino to fall in the United States when it required subscribers to fork over extra dough if they wanted to subsidize someone outside of their “primary household,” and the company appeared to reap the benefits based on the subsequent profit bump linked to a rise in new subscriptions.
Disney+ and Hulu did the same in 2024, and now, HBO Max is gearing up to do the same after hinting it was only a matter of time until it followed suit.
HBO Max has set a date for its looming crackdown on password sharing
The platform that was still known as “Max” at the end of 2024 asserted it was preparing to launch its crusade against password sharing before the end of the year, but that turned out to be an empty promise that allowed moochers to treat themselves to new seasons of The White Lotus and The Last of Us on someone else’s dime.
In April, we learned subscribers would start to be informed they’d need to pay $8 to add an additional user to their account if password-sharing was detected, but that also ended up being a preemptive announcement.
As a result, you may want to take the latest one with a grain of salt, but based on what JB Perrette, the CEO who oversees streaming and gaming at Warner Bros. Discovery, had to say on a recent earnings call, HBO Max is finally going to get serious about the practice starting next month.
According to The Wrap, Perrette said HBO Max has already started rolling out soft warnings to users in the hope of nudging them to upgrade before doing so becomes mandatory, adding it will no longer be optional once September rolls around.
At least it was fun while it lasted.
What streaming platforms haven’t cracked down on password sharing?
There are still some options for cheapskates to take advantage of on the streaming front.
Amazon Prime doesn’t seem particularly concerned at this point in time (the fact that a good chunk of its accounts are ad-supported is probably a big factor), and Apple TV has also made it pretty easy to spread the wealth with its Family Sharing option.
You’ll technically be violating Peacock’s terms of service if you share a login with someone outside of your household, but they are also not very proactive when it comes to enforcing that policy as things currently stand.
Content shared from brobible.com.