- Those borrowing an HBO log-in to watch "The White Lotus" and "The Last of Us" are on borrowed time.
- But Warner Bros. Discovery isn't cracking down on all Max freeloaders immediately.
- Instead, WBD will gently prompt users to get their own accounts in the next year or so.
Warner Bros. Discovery is putting a stop to password mooching — eventually.
HBO's parent company is now telling users that they need their own Max accounts to catch up on "The White Lotus." WBD wants users to make their own accounts, or get their account holder to pay an extra $8 per month to give them access.
Netflix popularized that "paid sharing" strategy to great success, and Disney is doing the same.
But those freeloading off their friend's account don't have to reach for their credit cards just yet. Although WBD is starting to gently encourage freeloaders to pay up, executives said they won't play hardball for a while.
"It's very soft messaging that will start getting firmer and more visible to subscribers over the months to come," WBD global streaming head JB Perrette said on the company's earnings call Thursday.
This paid-sharing initiative has a 12- to 18-month timeline, Perrette said. It's starting in the US and will move next year to the rest of the world, where Max is still rolling out.
Anti-mooching messaging will get "more assertive" later this year and in early 2026, Perrette said.
Paid sharing could boost Max subscribers
WBD isn't alone in following Netflix's lead, as NBC is warning Peacock subscribers not to share passwords with their friends. Paramount, Amazon, and Apple haven't done so yet, but certainly could if Disney and WBD's paid-sharing strategies pay off.
Max has made progress since its launch five years ago and rebrand from HBO Max in 2023. WBD has 57.6 million streaming subscribers in the US, up about 5 million from a year ago. The company has also grown its global customer base by more than 22 million customers, though that's largely due to rollouts in Southeast Asia and Europe.
Streaming advertising revenue surged 35% from last year in the first quarter.
A paid-sharing rollout could further boost WBD's streaming subscriber count, though engagement — and therefore advertising — could take a hit if freeloaders conclude that Max isn't worth paying for.
