Entertainment

HBO Max Introduces First Price Increase to Stem Streaming Losses

  • Company says the $1-a-month hike will fund more programming
  • Warner Bros Discovery CFO says services are priced way too low
Brian Cox in "Succession."

Photographer: Colin Hutton/HBO

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HBO Max introduced its first price increase since the service was launched nearly three years ago, the latest sign that the grow-at-all-costs era of the streaming business is ending.

The cost of HBO Max without commercials will rise almost 7% to $15.99 a month from $14.99 starting Thursday, the streaming service’s owner, Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., said in a statement. That makes the product slightly more costly than Netflix Inc.’s standard, $15.49-a-month plan. Both companies now offer cheaper ad-supported tiers.