Jenna Ortega looking serious as Wednesday Addams in Wednesday Season 2.
By
Shealyn Scott
Published 48 minutes ago
Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television. A creative writer, journalist, and lover of the written word in all its forms, Shealyn enjoys deconstructing scenes from her favorite shows, using context clues and historical precedent to predict major plot points (which, due to her successful track record, has sparked rumors of clairvoyancy). As an award-winning student journalist, Shealyn spent her college years advocating for the humanities while studying English Literature. Her love of storytelling propelled her to expand her degree with minors in Writing and History, believing life to be a mere collection of stories that can be framed in as many ways as a movie scene. As a Senior member of the TV Team, Shealyn treats the series she covers like books, analyzing every line, camera angle, and lighting choice. Thankfully, her personal mission statement lines up perfectly with Screen Rant: every creative work deserves just as much thought from the viewer as it received from its creator.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapOver 90% of U.S. households subscribe to a streaming service, but the once fixed costs are now incrementally rising — and will continue increasing next year. Ever since Netflix and Hulu kicked off the streaming wars in the mid-2010s, most major companies have thrown their hat in the ring, from Amazon launching Prime Video to HBO rebranding as Max — then pivoting back to HBO Max again.
Regardless, there are major problems with streaming that make consumers question whether the so-called cable replacement is still worth it. Free streaming services have popped up in an attempt to block a full-blown monopoly, but the original content produced by juggernauts like Apple TV persuaded customers to stay (and pay). Nevertheless, the unavoidable price gouging may be cause for reconsideration.
Prime Video
Increased Ads Starting In 2025 Changed Its Standard Model
The cast of The Summer I Turned Pretty dressed for a wedding.
Prime Video is an attached perk to Amazon Prime subscriptions, which cost $14.99/month, but the streaming service can be purchased by itself for $8.99/month. Rather than simply raising its subscription cost, however, Prime Video has left its viewers with no choice but to upgrade to a higher tier or be inundated with advertisements.
Price of Prime Video (Monthly)
Subscription Plan
Old Cost
New Cost (Ad-Free)
Amazon Prime
$14.99
$17.98
Standalone Prime Video
$8.99
$11.98
There have been many unforgivable cancellation decisions made by Prime Video, but one credit it’s maintained has been its infrequent ads. In contrast to competitors like Hulu, Prime Video typically showed a limited number of ads before playing an uninterrupted title. Sadly, those days are gone; in its place is a new ad-free tier, which costs viewers another $2.99/month.
Netflix
Price Hikes Began As Early As January 2025
The cast of Stranger Things season 5 riding bikes in front of a smokey red background.
Netflix was the first streaming service to raise its prices, starting as early as January 2025. Each of the three subscription tiers — ad-supported, standard, and premium — increased anywhere from 14–16%. As arguably the most popular streaming service to date, Netflix led the charge for contemporaries to follow by ringing in the new year with a price increase.
Price of Netflix (Monthly)
Subscription Plan
Old Cost
New Cost
Basic Plan (With Ads)
$6.99
$7.99
Standard Plan
$15.49
$17.99
Premium Plan
$22.99
$24.99
Regardless of the price increase, most still consider it to be a worthwhile investment thanks to both Netflix’s original content and its acquired titles, ranging from Korean dramas to 1960s sitcoms. Netflix’s most popular shows have become genre-defining titles, and the prices match its high reputation. Thankfully, Netflix changes prices roughly every 18 months, meaning 2026 prices should remain stagnant.
Peacock
A Rare Price Spike In July 2025
The cast of Peacock's The Paper stand in front of a newspaper-covered wall.
Since its 2020 launch, Peacock has been one of the most affordable platforms on the market, made possible by its frequent commercial breaks. In July 2025, however, Peacock raised its prices by a significant margin: an over 30% increase on the lowest tier alone. In the announcement, Peacock explained that the price increase is necessary to remain competitive in the field.
Price of Peacock (Monthly)
Subscription Plan
Old Cost
New Cost
Premium Plan (With Ads)
$7.99
$10.99
Premium Plus Plan (No Ads)
$13.99
$16.99
Peacock has many free perks, including collaborations with television providers and promotional discounts, but the value of its content is subjective. For fans of NBC shows, Peacock will be well worth it, but the high amount of ads (at a fairly steep price) will likely put off viewers who aren’t expressly seeking out Peacock-specific content.
Apple TV
A Drastic Price Inflation Announced In August 2025
The cast of AppleTV's Severance walking out of an elevator and into a parking lot.
Despite its Emmy-winning content, Apple TV remains one of the more niche streaming services, touting 45 million subscribers in 2024 compared to Netflix’s 302 million. Still, it’s impossible to deny that Apple TV — with exclusive content like Severance and Ted Lasso — is only on the rise. Ironically, the same can be said for its cost.
Price of Apple TV (Monthly)
Subscription Plan
Old Cost
New Cost
Standalone Apple TV
$9.99
$12.99
Apple One Bundle
$19.95
$19.95
Apple TV On Us
Free
$3.00
For its monthly plan, Apple TV has raised 30% to $12.99, but the Apple One bundle (which includes six Apple services) has remained the same. Additionally, the Apple TV On Us deal with T-Mobile — which was previously a free add-on — will start charging customers $3/month on January 1, 2026.
Disney+
A Dramatically Steep Increase Hit In October 2025
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Disney+'s Andor.
October 2025 marked a mass price increase for three different streaming platforms, but Disney+ was the figurehead. With so many streaming bundles available, the price of Disney+ dictates the price of its many partners, including Hulu and HBO Max.
Price of Disney+ (Monthly)
Subscription Plan
Old Cost
New Cost
Standard Plan (With Ads)
$9.99
$11.99
Premium Plan
$15.99
$18.99
Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (With Ads)
$16.99
$19.99
Premium Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle
$29.99
$32.99
Every plan, tier, and bundle increased by a flat rate of $3/month, making Disney+ a steady if not steep price change. With its vast library of family-friendly media, however, its cost will be justifiable for most parents or Disney-Pixar fans.
Hulu
Also Impacted By Disney's Price Change In October 2025
Jeremy Allen White as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto in The Bear season 4.
Due to Hulu’s impending shutdown, the streaming service will fully merge into Disney+ in 2026, making its prices inextricably bound together. Nonetheless, Hulu currently has standalone plans and unique bundles that also cost more following the October 2025 spike.
Price of Hulu (Monthly)
Subscription Plan
Old Cost
New Cost
Standard Plan (With Ads)
$9.99
$11.99
Premium Plan
$18.99
$18.99
Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (With Ads)
$16.99
$19.99
Premium Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle
$29.99
$32.99
Live TV via Hulu
$81.99
$88.99
Whether you watch Hulu by itself, keep up with sports seasons via its ESPN add-on, or watch Live TV for a premium price, there’s no question that Hulu offers a variety of valuable services. Nonetheless, the cost of Hulu, compared to alternatives like YouTubeTV, may not be worth it for every household.
HBO Max
All Tiers Increased In October 2025
Three women in bright vacation wear walk through a crowded street in The White Lotus season 3.
The last perpetrator of the October 2025 price surge was HBO Max, which saw one of the lowest increases of the bunch. Its three subscription tiers raised $1.00, $1.50, and $2.00, respectively. For a monthly subscription, though, the small change will undoubtedly add up quickly.
Price of HBO Max (Monthly)
Subscription Plan
Old Cost
New Cost
Basic Plan (With Ads)
$9.99
$10.99
Standard Plan
$16.99
$18.49
Premium Plan
$20.99
$22.99
HBO Max has always been one of the higher-cost streaming platforms because of its catalog of HBO classics and explicit original content. According to critics and fans alike, there are many must-watch HBO Max originals, but the opportunity cost for subscription varies from person to person.
Paramount+
Big Changes Starting January 2026
Sylvester Stallone holding an espresso cup in Paramount+'s Tulsa King.
Paramount+ had no price change in 2025, but it’s poised to lead the charge on the next round of price surges in early 2026. Starting January 15, its two subscription tiers will both increase by $1/month. Additionally, the premium plan has been renamed from Paramount+ with Showtime to simply Paramount+ Premium.
Price of Paramount+ (Monthly)
Subscription Plan
Old Cost
New Cost (Starting 2026)
Essential Plan
$7.99
$8.99
Premium Plan
$12.99
$13.99
Furthermore, the streaming platform has another consequential change coming. Paramount+’s free trial set it apart from competitors, but the 7-day test period will be eliminated starting January 15, 2026. While streaming services are more expensive than ever, traditional cable prices are also increasing, meaning it’s up to the viewer to determine what’s most cost-effective for their specific needs.
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