Max and Peacock are the latest streaming services to announce price increases, following Netflix, Disney+, and more. Here’s how we got here and what you can expect to pay.
The streaming revolution was supposed to let us swap expensive cable TV bills for a more affordable, a la carte viewing experience. And while a Netflix membership is cheaper than a Comcast or Spectrum TV subscription, the cost ticks up if you also need Max for House of the Dragon, Apple TV+ for Severance, and Hulu for The Bear.
Not helping matters is a constant stream of price hikes and plan adjustments in recent years. If you want an ad-free experience on Netflix, for example, your cheapest option is now $15 per month. And don’t even think about splitting the cost by sharing a password. Mooching off your old roommate’s sister’s login is now a thing of the past as major streaming services crack down.
The latest: Max is increasing the price of its ad-free tiers from $15.99 to $16.99 per month. It goes into effect now for new customers and around July 4 for existing ones.
Meanwhile, standalone Showtime shut down on April 30 and merged with Paramount+.
If you don’t keep close tabs on your subscriptions, it’s easy to miss a cost increase. A subscription that started at $4.99 per month can easily creep up to $9.99. If you have a half dozen or so video-streaming services, plus music streaming or cloud storage, it quickly adds up.
Below we’ll run through the price history of the top video-streaming services, and what you’ll pay if you sign up today. Netflix
After doing away with its Basic plan, Netflix now has three tiers: Standard with ads ($6.99), Standard ($15.49), and Premium ($22.99). You’d think a company would want as many people on is most expensive plan as possible, but the ad-based tier has proven popular and lucrative, hence the demise of the Basic plan.
January 2024: Announces plans to get rid of Basic plan for existing users.
October 2023:
The Basic plan goes up $2 per month from $9.99 to $11.99.
The Premium plan increases $3 from $19.99 to $22.99.
The Standard and ad-supported plan remain the same at $15.49 and $6.99, respectively.
July 2023: Gets rid of Basic ad-free $9.99 plan for new subscribers.
May 2023: Add another member is $7.99 per month/person for higher tiers.
November 2022: Launches ad-based tier for $6.99 per month.
January 2022:
Basic plan increases $1 per month from $8.99 to $9.99.
Standard plan increases $1.50 from $13.99 to $15.49.
Premium plan goes up $2 from $17.99 to $19.99.
October 2020: Netflix raises the Standard plan by a dollar to $13.99 a month, and the Premium tier by two dollars to $17.99 a month.
January 2019: The Standard plan goes up from $11 per month to $13. The Basic plan, on the other hand, increases from $8 to $9.
October 2023:
The Basic plan goes up $2 per month from $9.99 to $11.99.
The Premium plan increases $3 from $19.99 to $22.99.
The Standard and ad-supported plan remain the same at $15.49 and $6.99, respectively.
January 2022:
Basic plan increases $1 per month from $8.99 to $9.99.
Standard plan increases $1.50 from $13.99 to $15.49.
Premium plan goes up $2 from $17.99 to $19.99.Apple TV+
Apple TV+ came in at a low price due to an emerging library of original content. Plus, Apple could afford it. But as its shows have picked up steam over the years thanks to hits like Ted Lasso and Severance, the service’s pricing has fallen in line with its rivals.
