Los Angeles Premiere Of HBO Original Series "The Last Of Us" Season 2 - Arrivals

Los Angeles Premiere of HBO Original Series "The Last of Us" Season 2 (Axelle/FilmMagic)

Warner Bros. Discovery is getting real serious about Max passwords — and subscriber growth

With buzzy IP like “The Last of Us” and “Euphoria,” the streamer is targeting 150 million subscribers by 2026.

4/23/25 4:06PM

Warner Bros’ streaming service Max is officially cracking down on password sharing, joining Netflix in the fight to convert freeloaders into paying viewers.

This week, Max rolled out a new feature called Extra Member Add-On, which lets users transfer profiles from outside their household into separate paid accounts — watch history, recommendations, and all.

The move, first floated in December, is part of a larger push to tighten account access and boost subscriber numbers. It also comes as streamers look to pad their bottom lines and turn direct-to-consumer platforms into profit powerhouses.

Max’s numbers are far behind Netflix’s towering 301 million. Netflix famously kicked off its own password crackdown in 2023, resulting in a surge of individual membership sign-ups and massive growth for its cheaper ad-supported tier.

“Extra Member Add-On and Profile Transfer are two key Max advancements, designed to help viewers enjoy our best-in-class content with more flexibility,” JB Perrette, CEO of global streaming and games at Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement Tuesday.

For now, Max users can add only one extra member per account.

This crackdown could be just the boost Max needs to hit its ambitious goal of 150 million subscribers by the end of 2026. The streamer is leaning hard on its hit originals: “Euphoria,” “The White Lotus,” and “The Last of Us,” which is now Max’s most-watched series ever.

It’s also betting big on sports. With more than 1,700 live events streaming on the platform, Max has become a growing destination for fans. Last month, Bernstein analysts raised their price target on the stock to $11 from $9, noting Max’s growing reach abroad and the global launch of its upcoming “Harry Potter” franchise.

Still, Warner Bros. Discovery shares are down 22% so far this year.

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eBay stock slumps on gloomy Q4 outlook despite solid Q3 earnings

Shares of eBay fell as much as 10.5% in premarket trading on Thursday morning after the company gave a lower-than-expected profit forecast for the important holiday shopping season.

The e-commerce giant reported solid numbers for the third quarter on Wednesday, with revenue up 9% as reported to $2.8 billion and gross merchandise volume rising 10% to $20.1 billion, topping the average analyst forecast of $19.4 billion, per Bloomberg.

However, concerns about the future somewhat overshadowed these results.

eBay outlined its profit outlook for the period ending in December to $1.31 to $1.36 a share, with revenue at $2.83 billion to $2.89 billion. According to Bloomberg-compiled data, this broadly matches Wall Street’s estimates for the top line, but misses on the bottom line, with analysts forecasting EPS to come in at $1.39 — suggesting the company expects some further margin pressure.

The company has been facing macroeconomic challenges since the US ended the de minimis tariff exemption in late August, with the online marketplace reliant on shipments. One small silver lining? CFO Peggy Alford highlighted a “less durable trend” on a post-earnings call: that as commodity prices for precious metals boomed, demand for bullion and collectible coins on eBay spiked.