HBO Max is significantly raising its prices in the Netherlands, sadly enough — by no less than 18 percent. Choices, choices…
Having multiple subscriptions across different (video) streaming platforms is becoming an increasingly expensive hobby. One by one, providers are steadily pushing up their prices. This time it’s HBO Max’s turn, implementing a rather steep price hike. In the Netherlands, the Premium plan goes from €13.99 to €16.99, while the Standard plan rises from €9.99 to €11.99. Interestingly, the Basic plan with ads remains unchanged at €5.99 per month — though it’s possible that more ads will be added to compensate.
Early subscribers who still enjoy the “introductory discount” will also face a notable increase: their Premium plan goes from €6.99 to €8.49 per month. It’s worth noting that unsubscribing and resubscribing — for example, to catch up on new content — is unwise, as the discount is lost permanently once canceled.
With price increases now occurring almost annually (or more…), one has to wonder how long it will take before streaming services start charging €20, €30, or more per month as a standard. The trend resembles what once happened in the CD market — prices rose to the point where consumers simply stopped buying, fueling a boom in piracy. It would be unfortunate if video streamers (and to a lesser extent, audio streamers) were to price themselves out of the market in the same way.
Reasoning
HBO Max cites recent mergers and acquisitions as one of the main reasons for the price hike. In hindsight, the old model — with a low-cost Discovery subscription and a cheaper base price for the rest of HBO Max — was far more consumer-friendly. Now that several major platforms are merging, pricing power is ending up in fewer hands, a worrying development for subscribers.