Warner Bros. Discovery said it will tighten enforcement of HBO Max’s password-sharing rules beginning in September. Streaming chief JB Perrette told analysts on the company’s second-quarter earnings call that the platform will replace the current "soft, cancelable" prompts with messages that require decisive action, effectively forcing non-household viewers to pay or lose access. Under the updated policy, account holders may add one "extra member" who lives outside the household for US$7.99 a month. The company has spent months using IP addresses, device IDs and user-activity data to distinguish legitimate subscribers from freeloaders, and Perrette said the program is now ready for an “aggressive” rollout. Management expects the crackdown to begin lifting paid subscriptions in the fourth quarter and to contribute meaningfully in 2026. HBO Max added 3.4 million customers in the second quarter, bringing Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming base to about 125.7 million, although most of the recent growth came from international markets. HBO Max follows Netflix and Disney+, both of which reported subscriber gains after introducing similar measures. The tougher stance has also drawn regulatory attention: in Brazil, consumer agency PROCON-SP this week won court backing for a R$12.5 million (US$2.3 million) fine imposed on Netflix for blocking password sharing.