HBO Max is taking its fight against password sharing beyond the United States.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced during a recent earnings call that the company plans to begin a global expansion of its password-sharing enforcement in 2026.
Over the past year, the streaming service has already tightened its rules in the US. In August, it introduced stronger prompts encouraging users to pay an extra $7.99 per month to add someone outside their household to their account. Now that HBO Max has launched in several European countries and Latin America, with more rollouts planned in the UK, Ireland, and the Asia Pacific region, the company sees a bigger opportunity to increase revenue from shared accounts overseas.
JB Perrette, head of streaming at Warner Bros. Discovery, said the company is still in the early stages of enforcing its password sharing rules. He described the effort as only just beginning to scale.
The company reported adding 3.5 million global subscribers in the last quarter of 2025, bringing its total to 131.6 million. Warner Bros. Discovery expects that number to grow to 150 million subscribers by the end of this year.
In December, Warner Bros. Discovery agreed to an $83 billion deal to sell its studio and streaming business to Netflix. However, talks have reportedly reopened with Paramount, which is still pushing for a potential agreement.
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As HBO Max continues expanding into new markets, its tougher stance on password sharing could play a key role in reaching its ambitious subscriber goals.
