What you need to know
- Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president of global streaming and games, JB Perrette, stated Max's password sharing crackdown begins "later" in 2025.
- Perrette states Max's messages will begin gently before becoming more "assertive" in 2026, encouraging users to stop or opt for its Extra Member add-on.
- Max discussed its plan for a crackdown, similar to Netflix and Disney Plus, in 2024, but had yet to officially begin until now.
The streaming service, Max, is reportedly preparing to officially kick off its crackdown on users who are sharing passwords.
In a report by Variety, the publication cites Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president of global streaming and games, JB Perrette, when stating 2025 is the year for its strong crackdown on password sharing. During the company's Q1 report, Perrette reportedly stated its efforts against sharing accounts will be gradual.
Perrette said Max will begin displaying messages to users "softly" before becoming more "visible to subscribers over the months to come." What's more, the company states Max will become "more assertive" in its urge to push users away from password sharing "over the course of the back half of the year and really into ’26."
As the publication also notes, Max's CEO (and the service in general) is encouraging users into its recently launched Extra Members add-on.
Account owners can pay an additional $7.99 per month to share their subscription with someone who doesn't live in their household. Those who do not comply will face repercussions, such as disabled features. More importantly, WBD's Perrette states the full crackdown on password sharing will take anywhere from a year to 18 months to complete.
An Expected Outcome
WBD's Max first highlighted its interest in a password sharing crackdown early last year. Perrette was a part of those formal announcements in 2024, stating, "We think, relative to the scale of our business, it’s a meaningful opportunity." At its core, Max saw the success services like Netflix had with its crackdown and eventual implementation of extra members.
Those details came off the back of Max's striking loss of $55 million in Q4 2023.
A few months later, in December 2024, Perrette returned to tease a much stronger crackdown in 2025. Much of what's been confirmed by Perrette through Variety echoes what was said late last year. Max's interest in starting gently before becoming more "assertive" and its Netflix-like extra members add-on, which debuted last month. We've seen much of the same roll in for the likes of Disney Plus and Hulu, as well, so Max following the trend hasn't been a surprise.
Generating more revenue can be seen a core driver for this, given Max has stated such outright in the past. However, Variety highlights its Q1 2025 analytics, which shows Max gained over 5 million subscribers, helping it cut down on its major losses.
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