As far as streaming services go, HBO Max is arguably at the top of the game. HBO Max has an impressive library of movies and TV shows for subscribers to check out, including blockbuster programming like the mega successful House of the Dragon and the smash hit drama Euphoria. HBO Max also offers a huge library of classic shows and films, including some TV series that are considered to be among the greatest of all time, like The Wire and The Sopranos. This is all on top of the new third-party content that’s added to HBO regularly, with HBO Max often getting streaming rights to new movies earlier than the competition.

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Even so, there are some who will be upset about the HBO Max price increase. While a $1 price increase doesn’t seem like much, and is smaller than some of the Netflix price increases that subscribers have seen over the years, it’s still an extra dollar that subscribers will need to pay every month. And with the price hike effective immediately, it means new subscribers will have to pay $15.99 starting now, and everyone else will start having to pay the $15.99 price whenever their next bill is due.

One has to imagine that the HBO Max price increase was strategic, as it’s coming just in time for the premiere of The Last of Us TV series. HBO has invested significantly in its television adaptation of The Last of Us, and it is clearly banking on it to be one of the premiere television events of the year. HBO’s investment appears to be paying off, as The Last of Us has earned rave reviews from critics and is poised to have a huge debut this coming Sunday, January 15.

While The Last of Us will almost certainly draw in new subscribers and convince those already paying for HBO Max to stay, the streaming service will need to deliver even more high quality content moving forward if it hopes to retain its audience. Even with some projects and films canceled in the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, there should still be plenty of content to look forward to in the months ahead.

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