It seems that the steady rise in SVOD prices over the past few years has entered a new, content-focused phase.
Why the era of cheap streaming is over
With Peacock planning to raise its rates in mid-July, just before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, Max rolled out its own surprise price increase on Tuesday, just days before the June 16 season premiere of HBO's blockbuster series "House of the Dragon."
It’s a sign of how much the streaming business has changed in the past two years. The week before the show’s first season premiere in 2022 (and amid the company’s Great Content Purge), HBO/Max parent Warner Bros. Discovery slashed the price of annual subscriptions to its SVOD by 30% for new subscribers.
The intention then was clearly to attract new subscribers to “Dragon” and establish an annual subscription, thereby reducing the number of fans who would drop out after the season finale.
