Max password-sharing crackdown on the horizon, company issues warning

o implement password-sharing restrictions in May 2023. Netflix’s success with the restrictions likely inspired competitors to do the same.

Netflix had a record number of subscribers in its 2023 fourth-quarter earnings report. Ad memberships increased by nearly 70% in the final quarter of 2023.

If you receive a message from Max about password-sharing in the next few weeks, you might be one of the streaming service’s top users. The company’s CEO mentioned they are focusing on password sharing as we head into 2025. Password-sharing filters for Max users are expected to become stricter in the upcoming months according to Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO of streaming and games.

Reported by Deadline, the company executive shared this information at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit in Rancho Palos Verde, California. He explained that the crackdown will begin with some early, gentle communication to users. “This is an art and a science to try and tighten the filter of who’s in there,” JB Perrette said, per Deadline. “We’ll start some early messaging with some people who we think are in the higher tier of usage. We will offer a way to essentially add a member, starting in the first quarter. We will then start gradually as we get the data and start figuring out, with some explicit and implicit signals, how good we are at detecting. And then as we go through ’25, you’re going to see the filters get tighter and tighter.”

Max’s approach to password-sharing is not unusual in the streaming industry. Other platforms like Disney+ and Hulu have also implemented password-sharing restrictions. Disney+ started its crackdown in September and Hulu in March, while Netflix was the first to do so in May 2023.

So, if you’ve been sharing passwords, it may be time to consider your options. As streaming services crack down on password-sharing, it might be a good time to evaluate your own subscription habits. Look out for any messages from Max and other platforms regarding this issue in the near future.