HBO Max, the relatively new streaming service from WarnerMedia, has been able to get more than 4 million subscribers in just one month of its launch. It is not surprising since it already had a lot of hype built into much before it was actually even launched. The premiere of Snyder Cut of Justice League next year only added fuel to the fire. But the company is yet to make a deal with Roku and Amazon Fire, which is, unfortunately, turning away its potential subscribers.
But probably the biggest issue with HBO Max is the inflated subscription price that is too high considering its competition. Even Netflix and Disney are cheaper than Max, who have significantly better content and a huge loyal user base. To get a subscription of HBO Max, you will have to shell out $14.99, which is too much. But it seems that the company has recently realized that if they fail to keep the prices down, they won’t be able to compete in the highly competitive market.
The company recently introduced a discount plan called Save for 12, for which new subscribers will have to pay $11.99 per month only. But there are recent reports that WarnerMedia is considering to slash the prices even more by introducing an ad-based version of HBO Max, which will be much cheaper. It seems like the right thing to do considering the number of potential subscribers that the company is probably missing out on because of their over-hyped prices.
There are reports that there will be two to four minutes of advertisements for every hour of watch time. These are speculations merely since there is no official announcement made by WarnerMedia. But there have been discussions between HBO executives about the possibility of launching an ad-supported version of the service. If they go with the plan, it is almost certain that advertisements won’t appear during HBO originals or shows. The ads will appear on content from WarnerMedia’s other TV networks, and they will most likely be like standard video commercials.
The possibility that the HBO Max will seriously go for this ad-supported subscription plan seems highly likely. The company has already suffered a lot because of its inflexible, expensive subscription plans. In such a highly competitive ecosystem, the need of the hour to come to terms with the biggest issues is cutting into its subscribers. A lower subscription price will do miracles for HBO Max.
Daisy Martin is an avid technical blogger, a magazine contributor, a publisher of guides at mcafee.com/activate and a professional cyber security analyst. Through her writing, she aims to educate people about the dangers and threats lurking in the digital world.