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Max Cracking Down on Password Sharing With New 'Extra Member' Feature

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Following in the footsteps of Netflix and Disney+, streaming service Max is starting to crack down on password sharing between multiple households.

Max-Formerly-HBO-Max.jpg

Max this week debuted a new Extra Member Add-On feature, which is designed to allow users to pay a fee to share a Max subscription with someone who does not live in the same home. Extra Member Add-On is priced at $7.99 per month, on top of the base subscription price. Max with ads is $9.99 per month, while the Standard plan is $16.99 per month and the Premium plan with 4K streaming is $20.99 per month.

Extra members are provided with their own account, password, and single profile, and add-on members can only watch Max on one device at a time. Max subscribers are only able to add one additional member to an account.

Only those who subscribe to Max through WarnerMedia are able to access the Extra Member Add-On feature, and it is not available to those who have the Disney+, Hulu and Max bundle, or those who subscribe through third-party providers like app stores and TV providers.

$7.99 per month for the Extra Member Add-On is only $2 cheaper than an ad-supported plan, but the Extra Member feature has the benefit of sharing the plan of the main subscriber. So if the main subscription is the 4K Premium plan, the Extra Member can access 4K streaming and other Premium benefits for the $7.99 price.

Max will likely prohibit password sharing between multiple households in the near future, and will prompt users who attempt to use an account from more than one location to sign up for the Extra Member feature or to pay for a separate subscription.

Article Link: Max Cracking Down on Password Sharing With New 'Extra Member' Feature
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/04/23/max-password-sharing-crackdown-2/
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segfaultdotorg said:
View attachment 2504812

HBOMAX bravely following in Netflix' footsteps.
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That means they'll likely reap the same benefits as Netflix too

Netflix's Password-Sharing Crackdown Pays Off - Biz New Orleans

NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix’s subscriber and earnings growth accelerated in its latest quarter as the video streaming service benefits from a crackdown on
bizneworleans.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix’s subscriber and earnings growth accelerated in its latest quarter as the video streaming service benefits from a crackdown on freeloading viewers, an expansion into advertising and an acclaimed programming lineup.

Netflix added 8 million subscribers during the April-June period, marking a 37% increase over the same time last year. It was the sixth-consecutive quarter of that Netflix’s subscriber gains have increased from the previous year, a trend triggered by the 2022 downturn that served as a wake-up call for the Los Gatos, California, company.

And Netflix is still financially thriving. The company’s profit in its latest quarter rose 44% from last year to $2.15 billion, or $4.88 per share — a figure that exceeded the estimates of analysts polled by FactSet Research. Revenue climbed 17% from last year to $9.56 billion, also eclipsing analysts’ projections.
 
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crawfish963 said:
Avast, ye mateys. Surely we can find treasure elsewhere.
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I'm glad I setup my Plex server last year. I have all of the HBO content on there even though I have the subscription for free through my carrier. Never know when that is going away or when they will remove content. I get everything on release day, so I watched the first 2 episodes of The Last of Us season 2 and the first 3 episodes of Andor season 2. I have no limit on who can link up to my server.
 
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I believe this is all due to live sports. All these services are adding live sports, which both drive up costs and add restrictions to prevent “sharing” the sporting event and “robbing” them of fees they need to pay the leagues.
 
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An AppleTV acts as a great Tailscale exit node. Set it up once and it routes streaming through that IP with zero maintenance. If you are using someone else’s login, giving them an AppleTV is a great thank you that also lets you continue to use their account. Both AppleTV and Chromecast (also the $20 Walmart Onn 4k streaming box) have Tailscale clients. Not sure about Roku. Tailscale setup is easy and free.
 
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Somehow non of this has hit me on an Apple TV as of today. I am still using my Netflix account with my folks in Mexico and I am still using Disney+ with my sister. Never even got a pop up to do anything.

The only time I got it on Netflix was when I signed into an android TV on vacation in Sweden which leaves me with the question how reliable this 💩 is when you travel a lot
 
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I'm all for cracking down on password sharing but is it really that or is it gouging once again?
You can't log in any more accounts than you have. Give it to 100 people you can still only use 4 and unless you have organised a complex system of time sharing, everyone watches at the same time so they the amount of stealing is limited.
Whereas I have two kids at college and as usual, they want me to pay extra for when they are not watching at home whilst I still pay for the unused accounts when they aren't here.
So an extra cost at no extra usage and they know it. I also have another place where I probably won't be able to use it either now.
It's gouging and frankly, it's mean.
 
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ikramerica said:
I believe this is all due to live sports. All these services are adding live sports, which both drive up costs and add restrictions to prevent “sharing” the sporting event and “robbing” them of fees they need to pay the leagues.
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Finally someone gets it.

Live sports have infinitely longer (and pricier) licensing terms than in house content.
 
Skyscraperfan said:
I understand that they want to crack down on different families using the same account, but the same family should still be able to do this without having to pay extra for a second or third home.

There is a solution though and I do not think it's illegal. Use a VPN tunnel like Wireguard to your primary home.
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I use my Unifi (Teleport) VPN all the time for this. A home VPN won’t get the same scrutiny and suspicion that a commercial VPN would get.
 
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My issue with password sharing restriction is that I don't live in the US and use VPN to access Disney+ and Max. I am currently subscribed to both these services (along with Amazon Prime and Netflix). However, Disney+ is really getting under my nerve with "You've reached you maximum household limit". And every time this happens I have to chat with customer support to resolve this. Never had an issue with the other streaming platforms. But it looks like I am going to see it with Max.

I am actually considering cancelling Disney+ and Max once they put a lock on IP restrictions. The problem is that the affiliated (international) services does not have the same content as the US.
 
Ruggy said:
I'm all for cracking down on password sharing but is it really that or is it gouging once again?
You can't log in any more accounts than you have. Give it to 100 people you can still only use 4 and unless you have organised a complex system of time sharing, everyone watches at the same time so they the amount of stealing is limited.
Whereas I have two kids at college and as usual, they want me to pay extra for when they are not watching at home whilst I still pay for the unused accounts when they aren't here.
So an extra cost at no extra usage and they know it. I also have another place where I probably won't be able to use it either now.
It's gouging and frankly, it's mean.
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Minus the first half of your first sentence (it's contradictory to the rest of your comment because that's all they are), that's actually a really good point that I have not seen anyone else bring up before. Password sharing "crackdowns" are nothing but a greedy tactic to drive up subscriptions for no other justifiable reason than more money. The subscriptions come with multiple streams per account. Artificially limiting where those streams are used is ridiculous. Your point even furthers that idea because they are getting even more money in your case with the same amount of load on their servers. And they will still continue to raise prices every couple of years. Can't believe people just bent over for this when Netflix started doing it. It could have been nipped in the bud right then and there. People go even further than bending over by actively defending these companies and the practice.
 
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Cracking down on password sharing whilst simultaneously hiking subscription prices above what is reasonable, deserves scorn and account cancellation in protest/on principle. It is gouging in all but name.

It wasn't more than a few years ago, Netflix, Disney+ etc. were all single figure monthly fees (WITHOUT ads) and allowed sharing without issue. And they wonder why their revenues have plateaued and new signups have dropped off.
 
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Reelmower said:
An AppleTV acts as a great Tailscale exit node. Set it up once and it routes streaming through that IP with zero maintenance. If you are using someone else’s login, giving them an AppleTV is a great thank you that also lets you continue to use their account. Both AppleTV and Chromecast (also the $20 Walmart Onn 4k streaming box) have Tailscale clients. Not sure about Roku. Tailscale setup is easy and free.
Click to expand...
Whoa didn’t know that was possible thanks. I’ll have to look into this.
 
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Veinticinco said:
And they wonder why their revenues have plateaued and new signups have dropped off.
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The actual reason for this is that there are too many streamers now and they have all cannibalized each other.

Ads and fee increases are the response to, not the cause of, declining revenue
 
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