Exclusive: Warner Bros. Discovery raises HBO Max prices in Nordics, Iberia & Bulgaria

The Sympathiser

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is raising the cost of its HBO Max streamer in the Nordics, Iberia and Bulgaria, ahead of the roll-out of the Max branded offering.

HBO Max is raising its price in Spain by an additional €1 ($1.14) to take the cost of its standard package to €9.99, while in Portugal a subscription will now cost €7.99.

In Norway, the cost will rise from 89 NOK ($8.33) to 99 NOK; in Sweden it is changing from 89 SEK ($8.29) to 99 SEK; in Denmark the price will increase from 79DKK ($11.44) to 89 DKK; and in Finland a subscription now costs €9.99, up from €8.99.

Customers in Bulgaria are seeing the price rise from €4.99 to €6.99.

TBI understands the price rises, which are applicable from today, follow a review of HBO Max’s cost across parts of Europe and are designed to put the streamer closer to parity with rivals such as Netflix. The latter charges €12.99 per month for a standard subscription in Spain, for example, although a basic package is available €7.99.

WBD said the increases came amid rising production and development costs. It is the first time HBO Max has raised prices since launching in the Nordics and Spain in October 2021 and in Bulgaria and Portugal in March 2022.

HBO Max is set to be replaced by newly rebranded Max in countries across Europe early 2024. The US giant launched its new-look service in the US in April, where a standard ad free subscription costs $15.99 per month.

It carries shows ranging from HBO drama The Sympathizer to Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai and HGTV’s four-part Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge, while series in the works include a new Harry Potter series, a spin-off from The Big Bang Theory and a drama based on The Conjuring films.

Other shows available include Investigation Discovery’s Lost Women of Highway 20, Cartoon Network’s Tiny Toons Looniversity and TLC’s Love & Translation.