Which Streaming Services Are Likely to Raise Prices Next?
We’ll run through which streamers have already raised prices in 2024, and which have promised increases are coming.
It’s not exactly a ground-breaking statement to say that the price of streaming has been rising. Top streaming services have seemingly all raised prices in the past year, as Wall Street’s prioritization of profits has led to cost-cutting and revenue-boosting measures across the industry.
The Streamable has been tracking and recording streaming price increases since 2017, and I myself have covered price hikes from many of the top streamers on the market this year. This handy guide will help consumers track which services have already raised prices in 2024, and which have promised or are likely to do so.
Which Streamers Have Already Raised Prices in 2024?
Prime Video
Prime Video executed its ad-supported rollout a little differently than other streaming services this year. Instead of creating a lower-cost plan for ad-supported streaming, Prime Video simply put ads on its existing streaming tier and raised the price of ad-free viewing from $8.99 per month to $11.99. That was the first price increase in the history of Prime Video, however; the streamer launched as Amazon Unbox in 2006 for $8.99 per month.
Fubo
Fubo’s last price increase came in January 2024, when the streamer raised rates for all plans by $5 per month. The cheapest Fubo plan now costs $79.99 per month, a figure that does not include a regional sports network fee of at least $12 per month that 98% of Fubo customers have to pay. That’s a far cry from when Fubo launched as a soccer-centric streaming service for just $7 per month in 2015, but its expansion to a wider sports focus has transformed Fubo into a fully-fledged live TV streaming service with a price to match.
Which Streamers Have Pledged to Raise Prices in The Near Future?
Peacock
Peacock announced in late April that it would be raising subscription rates on both plans a few days before its Summer Olympics coverage begins in July. The price for ad-supported Peacock Premium will jump from $5.99 per month to $7.99, and ad-free Peacock will increase from $11.99 to $13.99. When Peacock first launched in 2020, its ad plan cost just $4.99 per month, a price that remained until 2023.
Paramount+
Paramount Global is still working through merger and acquisition opportunities, and that may be distracting the focus of company executives a bit. Nevertheless, Paramount officials promised in late 2023 that they saw room to increase the price of the streamer, and viewers should be expecting that eventuality soon. If Paramount cannot find a company to acquire its assets, more revenue from its streaming platform will be a necessity. Paramount+ launched with a $4.99 ad-supported/$9.99 for ad-free streaming price schedule as CBS All Access in 2014.
Max
Max executed the first price increase in its history in early 2023, when the ad-free plan of what was then HBO Max jumped from $14.99 per month to $15.99. A report from early May indicated that Warner Bros. Discovery intended to increase the price of the streamer once again this year, though there has been no official confirmation/denial of that news from the company itself. WBD CEO David Zaslav did say after the launch of Max in 2023 that he saw room to move the price of the streamer, but there has been no action to back up those words as yet.
Where Do Other Streamers Stand?
Netflix
Netflix last raised its subscription prices in the United States in October 2023. The rate hike affected its Basic plan — which is currently being phased out for existing customers in some countries — and its Premium plan, but its Standard with Ads and Standard plans were unaffected. Netflix first launched an ad-free streaming plan back in 2007, at a rate of $7.99 per month, almost half of the $15.49 new customers would have to pay to sign up for ad-free streaming on the service today. Executives at the company said in 2023 more increases were at least a year away, so, for now, I’ll predict that its prices stand pat for the rest of the year.
Likely to Raise Prices in 2024?: No
Disney+
Disney+ raised its ad-free subscription rate to $13.99 per month last October. Its ad-supported plan is still $7.99 per month, the same price it launched at in late 2022. Disney+ has raised prices in each of the last two years and finally achieved the goal of profitability according to the company’s most recent earnings report. However, I don’t think Disney is going to sit on its hands and call its slim profit margins a total victory for the rest of the year. I think it will increase ad-supported streaming prices by at least $1 per month, and ad-free customers could be in for another rate hike as well. In fact, a price increase is all but guaranteed considering Disney+ is set to add an ESPN add-on at some point in 2024.
Likely to Raise Prices in 2024?: Yes
Hulu
Like Disney+, Hulu last raised ad-free streaming prices in October 2023. It now costs $17.99 per month to stream Hulu without ads, a hefty jump from the $10 per month it cost to stream ad-free in 2007. Disney’s focus seems to be a bit more turned to Disney+ this year, and while it’s possible that the company takes the opportunity to raise prices on all of its services at the same time as it did in 2022 and 2023, I think its price will remain the same for now. Unlike Disney+, Hulu has had no new content announcements or big overhauls scheduled in 2024, and I think that will lead to prices remaining as they are while Disney tries to drive more customers to its flagship streamer with new features.
Likely to Raise Prices in 2024?: No
ESPN+
Is there a long-term future for ESPN+? It’s a worthwhile question to ask, as Disney is preparing new ways to deliver content from ESPN’s linear channels to viewers without the need for a cable subscription. ESPN+ content will be included in the new Venu Sports joint venture platform, but once Disney has a way to offer the full ESPN lineup directly to viewers, what further will it have for ESPN+? I think the streamer stays at its current $10.99 price point until Disney decides to sunset it in favor of other options.
Likely to Raise Prices in 2024?: No
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ last raised its subscription rate to $9.99 per month in October 2023. Since 2022, the price of an Apple TV+ subscription has doubled, and the streamer has not made big-time moves to add live sports or license a huge catalog of new titles in the meantime. It continues its strategy of putting out high-quality original shows and movies, which leads to a small library for viewers to browse and a ceiling for how much it can charge. The real X-factor here, however, is an ad-supported plan. Apple TV+ is the last major streaming service without such a plan and has been making moves at the corporate level to indicate that it’s about to launch an ad plan of its own. If it does, I think the company will take the opportunity to raise the cost of ad-free streaming once again.
Likely to Raise Prices in 2024?: Yes
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM raised rates for all subscribers last November, but the pressures of the live TV streaming industry may force another increase. Channel owners will continue asking for more retransmission fees as they lose more and more viewers, and distributors like DIRECTV are caught in the position of losing money on carriage deals or charging their customers more money. History has shown us that companies will pick the latter option every time, which means DIRECTV STREAM is quite likely to raise subscription rates this year. Currently, the cheapest plan of DIRECTV STREAM costs $79.99 per month.
Likely to Raise Prices in 2024?: Yes
Hulu + Live TV
Unfortunately for current subscribers, I think Hulu + Live TV is too good a value to stay under $80 per month for much longer. Not only does the streamer allow viewers to watch their local channels in addition to dozens of high-demand cable networks, but it also includes the Disney Bundle for customers who sign up at $76.99 per month or more. A price increase would help Hulu + Live TV stand out more distinctly from the Venu Sports joint venture service Disney is taking part in as well, which is another reason I foresee the cost of a Hulu + Live TV subscription going up at some point this year.
Likely to Raise Prices in 2024?: Yes
YouTube TV
YouTube TV launched at a price of $64.99 per month, and remained at that rate until 2023, when it jumped to $72.99. The low price of the service as compared to its peers has helped YouTube TV become the dominant force in live TV streaming, with more than 8 million subscribers. I think the service has room to raise prices by $1 or $2 per month without risking a massive customer defection, and the company may need more revenue from YouTube TV if NFL Sunday Ticket continues to struggle to attract viewers.
Likely to Raise Prices in 2024?: Yes
Sling TV
Sling TV is a true wild card as far as a price increase in 2024. Its parent company DISH is not the most financially healthy media firm in the world, and continues to be discussed as a potential merger partner with DIRECTV. A price increase could bring meaningful revenue to DISH, but it would also threaten Sling’s reputation as a truly lower-cost option in the industry that gives consumers the choice to cut out some channels in favor of super-high-demand networks like ESPN and TNT. For now, I’m leaning toward Sling keeping its $40 per month base plans at the same price for the rest of 2024.
Likely to Raise Prices in 2024?: No
Philo
Philo is the streamer least likely to raise its prices in 2024, in my eyes at least. It doesn’t offer local channels or major sports networks, so it has less to fear from rising carriage fee demands than other live TV streaming services. There’s an outside chance Philo will raise its rates anyway; the streamer last increased to $25 per month in 2021, where it remains today. Until Philo tries to make big-time programming additions, however, I’ll assume it will remain at the same subscription price.
Likely to Raise Prices in 2024?: No