David Zaslav Says HBO Max Is “Way Underpriced” and Prices Could Rise
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav says that watching TV today is not easy for viewers. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, Zaslav called television “a terrible consumer experience” because there are too many platforms and choices.
“In almost every market in the world, there’s just way too many choices. And you’re googling, ‘Where is it? How do I get from one to the other? How do I get into that platform?’” he said.
Despite the crowded market, Zaslav is confident about HBO Max’s future. He predicts that next year, the streaming service will be in over 150 million homes, putting it on par with Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and YouTube in the global streaming market.
Zaslav also said HBO Max is “way underpriced” and hinted that prices will go up over time. “The fact that this is quality — and that’s true across our company, motion picture, TV production and streaming quality — we all think that gives us a chance to raise price. We think we’re way underpriced. We’re going to take our time,” he explained.
Password sharing is another issue the company plans to address. Zaslav said that while they haven’t cracked down yet, the company will start pushing against it once more users become invested in HBO Max content.
“People are really starting to love HBO Max. That’s the key. We want them to fall in love with our content, with our series, with the differentiated offering outside of the U.S. It’s all tricky with the password sharing. We’re going to begin to push on that,” he said.
Warner Bros. Discovery is also preparing to split into two companies by April 2026. After the split, Zaslav will lead the new Warner Bros., which will include Warner Bros. film and TV studios, DC Studios, HBO, HBO Max, and TCM.
The other company, Discovery, will be led by CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels and will include Turner channels, international TV, and Discovery+. This new setup leaves Discovery with most of the company’s existing debt.
HBO Max has gone through several price changes since its launch. When it first launched in June 2021, the ad-free plan cost $14.99, while the ad-supported plan was $9.99. In January 2023, the ad-free plan increased by $1 to $15.99.
By May 2023, Max introduced a new Ultimate plan at $19.99, which included more downloads, 4K streaming, and four concurrent streams, while the ad-free plan stayed at $15.99 but lost 4K streaming and was reduced to two streams. In June 2024, the ad-free plan rose another $1 to $16.99, and the Ultimate plan increased to $20.99. The ad-supported plan remained $9.99, but CNN Max and B/R Sports were removed from the basic tier.
Zaslav’s comments suggest that Warner Bros. Discovery plans to continue growing HBO Max as a premium service, with price increases and new rules around password sharing.
It’s clear that Zaslav sees HBO Max as a high-value service that has room to grow both in content and pricing. For viewers, this could mean higher bills, but also more features and content. What do you think about the future of HBO Max and these price changes? Share your thoughts in the comments.