The Max streaming platform has announced increased prices for its monthly and yearly ad-free plans. Starting Tuesday, the Max With Ads plan will stay at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, but the ad-free tiers will increase.
The monthly cost for Max’s ad-free plan will increase by $1 to $16.99. Additionally, the yearly ad-free plan will be $169.99 for the year seeing a $20 hike. The Ultimate Ad-Free tier will reach a new price of $20.99 per month, rising by $1.
Furthermore, the yearly Ultimate Ad-Free plan will be $209.99 per year with an increase of $10. These new prices will apply to new subscriptions. Notably, the yearly and monthly existing subscribers will be notified 30 days before their plan renews about the new pricing.
The Ultimate ad-free Max plan subscribers not only enjoy a commercial-free experience but also receive 30 downloads for mobile viewing and other additional benefits including 4K UHD, Dolby Atmos audio where available, four concurrent streams (compared to two on both the cheaper ad-free plan and the ad-supported plan), and 100 downloads for offline viewing. Also, for a limited time, the subscribers of Max get access to the live sports Bleacher Report add-on at no extra cost.
WBD is adopting a strategy similar to other streaming platforms while maintaining the current price for its ad-supported tier and increasing the prices for its ad-free tiers. Announced on Tuesday, the price hikes for Max’s ad-free plans are viewed as an effort to encourage subscribers to switch to its ad-supported options. This move by Max aligns with its rivals like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which are also introducing their ad-free services.