Yet Another Streaming Platform Announces More “Aggressive” Approach to Password Cracking

HBO Max is about to make it a lot harder for people to share their accounts with family and friends. The streaming service is joining the ranks of Netflix, Disney+, and other platforms by cracking down on password sharing in a more aggressive way.

Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO Max, is set to end the common practice of sharing streaming passwords, a move that could change how many people use the service.

According to a report from Deadline, JB Perrette, who leads Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming business, revealed during a recent earnings call that their messaging around password sharing will become much tougher for users.

He explained, “The message language right now has been a fairly soft, cancel-able message,” but added that soon the process will become stricter and require users to take real action. Instead of just asking nicely, HBO Max plans to force users to stop sharing passwords by the end of 2025. Subscribers should expect this change soon and get ready for a new way of using the service.

This crackdown on password sharing isn’t happening by accident. Warner Bros. Discovery is preparing for their fourth quarter earnings report and wants to show positive results from this move. The company expects that some people who were sharing passwords will create their own accounts, which could temporarily boost subscriber numbers. But in the long run, this could slow down overall growth, as some users might stop subscribing if they can’t share accounts anymore.

This is a risk that Netflix has already faced when it introduced similar restrictions on password sharing. Netflix saw a boost in subscribers at first but warned that growth could slow after those initial gains.

Netflix and Disney+ are two of the biggest streaming platforms that have already taken strong steps to stop password sharing. Netflix started testing more aggressive measures in various countries over the past couple of years. They require users to verify their devices and pay extra fees if they want to share accounts outside their household. Disney+ has also put limits on how many screens can stream at the same time and has made it harder to share passwords with people outside the home.

Other services like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video have also tightened rules around account sharing to protect their revenue.

Streaming companies argue that password sharing costs them billions of dollars each year in lost revenue. When too many people use one account, it hurts their ability to invest in new shows and improve services. So, these companies want to make sure that every user is a paying subscriber.

Rob Perrette’s comments during the earnings call highlight just how serious Warner Bros. Discovery is about this issue. With HBO Max joining the group of platforms that are getting stricter, it shows that the streaming industry as a whole is moving in the same direction.

The big question is how fans will react. Will they accept paying for their own accounts, or will some decide to drop their subscriptions? Only time will tell if HBO Max’s tougher stance on password sharing will pay off or backfire. For now, viewers should expect to see changes soon and be ready to follow the new rules if they want to keep watching their favorite shows.

This shift in policy marks a clear message from streaming giants: sharing passwords is going to be a thing of the past. If you’re used to watching HBO Max on your friend’s or family member’s account, you might want to prepare to sign up yourself.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!