4 Examples of How Streaming Services Are Quietly Upping Their Prices

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Streaming used to be a cheap cable alternative, but those days are fading fast. Here are some price hike tricks to keep an eye on. 

At the peak of high cable prices, many of us have moved to streaming to help our finances. But the once-affordable streaming services have gotten more and more expensive. If you haven’t checked your monthly statements in a while, take a look — you’re likely paying more than you remember. Here are just a few examples of how prices have gotten so high.

1. We have ads now! (AKA: Give us more money or else!)

Somewhere over the last couple years, streaming platforms suddenly discovered the not-so-shocking “secret” that ads make a ton of money. Even those last bastions of ad-free streaming — HBO, Disney+, and Netflix — have all adopted ad-supported streaming plans.

At a quick glance, it’s not so bad, right? For people who don’t mind ads, it’s a cheaper way to stream. Except these companies don’t just add ad-supported plans; no, they also tend to use it as an excuse to extort more money from those of us who specifically pay for streaming to avoid ads. Enjoy your higher prices on those new “ad-free” and “premium” plans!

The latest example is Amazon Prime Video, which is not only adding ads in 2024 — it’s also jacking up the price of its ad-free plan by $2.99.

Fun fact: Number and duration of ads varies a lot by streaming service, with some of the worst loading you up with 15 minutes or more of ads per hour. Ads typically play at the start, end, and during videos.

2. We-want-you-on-this-plan alt-tier increases

Alright, so this is the one where companies increase prices on all their plans — except one, ostensibly the one with the best profit margin.

We saw this last year with Disney+ when the company increased prices on everything except its premium bundle. While the $19.99 (at the time) Trio Premium bundle did offer a good deal if you actually wanted all the services, it was still more than twice as expensive as any of the individual services, so I could see why Disney would want to push people towards it.

Fun fact: The same plan is now $24.99, but don’t worry — Disney added a new Duo Premium bundle plan that offers less for the same price you were paying before. Isn’t that wonderful?!

3. New merger, new name, new (higher) price!

The most recent example of this particular situation was the merger of HBO with Discovery. At first, existing HBO Max subscribers enjoyed more content at the same price. Sounds like a win, right?

Well, that didn’t last. It wasn’t long before the new merged service, Max, launched an updated pricing plan that would require an upgrade (and price hike) to keep features like 4K resolution.

Oh, and if you were a Discovery+ subscriber with no interest in HBO’s content? Don’t worry, you don’t have to join Max. We’ll just add some ads and charge you more for the same content you had before!

Fun fact: Warner Bros. Discovery has more than 95 million global subscribers across all of its services.

4. The plain old price hike

Of course, I have to include the because-we-said-so price hikes that every streaming company does seemingly every other year. For example, let’s consider the OG streamer, Netflix.

When the company debuted its on-demand streaming service in 2011, it had one tier (Standard) and it cost $7.99. Despite all the other changes Netflix has made over the years, the Standard plan still lives — but not at that price. Oh, no, it’s gone up more than 51% in the last 12 years to a whopping $15.49 today.

Fun fact: If the price of the plan had only increased with inflation, it would cost just $10.88 in 2023.

Tips for keeping your streaming costs down

The easiest way to cut your streaming costs is to simply cancel your services and do without. But that’s a bit extreme if you’re only trying to slim your entertainment budget, not eliminate it entirely. Instead, try using some of these tips.

Rotating streaming services

My go-to method for keeping streaming costs in check is to rotate services. Basically, each month I only pay for two or three primary services (the ones my family wants access to year-round), plus a single additional service. We watch everything we want to see on the extra platform during that month, then cancel before the renewal date and sign up for something else.

Loving the library

Joining your local library is absolutely free, and it unlocks so much value! This often includes access to tons of streaming content, from audiobooks to movies. While it probably won’t replace all of your streaming services — some new releases and original content may not be available through the library apps — it’s definitely a great way to cut your overall streaming costs.

Credit card rewards and credits

Your rewards credit cards may offer all kinds of ways to save. A good streaming rewards card can earn 6% back on streaming purchases.

Don’t forget to look for credits or discounts, too. For example, several Amex cards have monthly credits for select streaming services. Plus, Amex and Chase cards often have streaming deals in their offer portals.

Annual plans

If you love a certain streaming service and know you’ll keep it month after month, look to see if it offers a discounted annual plan. Max, Disney+, and Paramount+ all offer annual plans that will save you 15% or more.

A net positive?

At the end of the day, as much as it stinks when streaming services increase their prices, remember the most important thing: At least it’s not cable. Because if it were, you’d not only be paying more every year — but you’d be stuck with commercials whether you like it or not!

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.American Express is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Brittney Myers has positions in American Express and Netflix. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and Netflix. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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