Netflix has started by banning account sharing in Norway and in September we announced that Disney+ is considering the same.
HBO must take several measures to increase profitability
It is Bloomberg reports that they will start immediately, but it is currently uncertain whether they will offer customers to pay for extra accounts outside the home.
"Max will expand into new markets, including France, Latin America, and Australia over the next 18 months," the newspaper reveals, adding that it will follow Netflix and stop password sharing, meaning sharing accounts with others outside the household. The service starts this year, and will continue to roll out the restriction next year - it is therefore uncertain when they will start in Norway.
Beyond just this, Bloomberg describes a tough market where Netflix is miles ahead of its competitors. Although Warner Bros.
Discovery managed to make $100 million last year, but that wasn't enough for investors who punished the company, sending shares down nearly 24 percent this year. The reason for that is that the income includes what HBO gets paid by the traditional TV industry, i.e. not just streaming and income they get from Netflix for licensing content - this segment also increased by 18 percent last year.
David Zaslav, head of Warner Bros. Discovery, has also responded by cutting marketing and streamlining the company but has also cut thousands of jobs.
“He has not invested much. His options are limited due to billions of dollars in debt,” explains Bloomberg, who adds that the big hope of the new boss is that the HBO Max and Discovery+ merger will pay off in the long run – Max was launched last May. So far, it is uncertain whether he will be able to row it in: Warner Bros. its streaming part lost customers last year.