HBO Max has announced its first-ever price increase for monthly subscriptions since its launch.
The price adjustment will affect subscribers in the Nordics and Spain, with an increase of €1($1.08) per month, and in Bulgaria and Portugal, with a €2($2.17) per month hike. Existing direct and app store subscribers will experience the price change in their next billing cycle after July 13, 2023.
For example, in Norway, the monthly subscription fee will rise from NOK 89($8.43) to NOK 99($9.38), while in Finland, it will increase from €8.99($9.74) to €9.99($10.82) per month. In Bulgaria, the price will move up from €4.99($5.40). HBO Max justifies the price increase by citing higher content creation and product development costs.
Despite the increase, HBO Max’s pricing remains competitive compared to other European streaming services. In Norway, Netflix‘s mid-tier Standard subscription costs NOK109($10.32) per month, and in Bulgaria, it is €7.99($8.65).
This price adjustment comes ahead of Warner Bros. Discovery’s planned transition to the Max brand in Europe early next year. It marks the first time that the existing HBO Max service in the Nordics, Iberia, and Bulgaria has seen a price hike.
Warner Bros. Discovery attributes the price adjustments to rising content creation and product development expenses. Earlier this year, HBO Max increased the price of its ad-free tier in the United States by $1, reaching $15.99, before transitioning the service to Max in May. The company plans to continue raising prices in the future to better reflect the value of the service.
