The price increase goes into effect for new subscribers just now signing up for HBO Max immediately. Existing subscribers will see the price increase reflected in their next billing cycle on or after February 11. In a statement, HBO Max said that this price increase will help it continue investing in programming and user experience:
“This price increase of one dollar will allow us to continue to invest in providing even more culture-defining programming and improving our customer experience for all users,” the company explained. The price of the ad-supported HBO Max tier will remain the same at $9.99 per month.
As The Verge points out, however, the price increase comes amid the WarnerMedia merger with Discovery and questions about the future of content on HBO Max. HBO Max has recently removed the back catalogs of some of its most popular TV shows, and those shows are expected to resurface on other streaming platforms in the future.