If it isn’t news of a streaming service increasing its prices it’s news that a streaming service is nerfing a current tier to force its subscribers to cough up some extra dough for the things they used to have. Here with its own take on how to gouge its customers is Max which, starting from December 5, will remove the ability to view content in 4K from its ad-free plan.
The removal of 4K streaming from the Ad-Free plan is Max’s way of getting you to pony up a few extra dollars for its Ultimate Ad-Free tier, at least until the service unveils a Mega-Ultimate-Pro Ad-Free tier in a few months time. Sarcasm aside, I’ve listed the benefits of the three Max tiers for you to compare below:
| With Ads | Ad-Free | Ultimate Ad-Free | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stream Devices | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Resolution | Full HD Resolution | Full HD Resolution | 4K Ultra HD Resolution as available |
| Downloads | N/A | 30 Downloads to watch on the go | 100 Downloads to watch on the go |
| Audio | Dolby Atmos immersive audio as available | ||
| Price | $9.99 | $15.99 | $19.99 |
Besides removing 4K viewing from its Ad-Free plan Max has also trimmed the device count down from 3 to just 2, which may impact households more than the nerfed streaming resolution will.
The changes to the Ad-Free plan go into effect from the December billing cycle, giving you just enough time to cancel your subscription if required.
This is a trend that will continue as the streaming giants continue on their path to making the cord-cutting dream as expensive as the cable nightmare was.
