Streamflation: Disney+ and Hulu price hikes and how much it really costs to stream TV
Streaming is getting way more expensive.
Somehow over the past few years, streaming services, once considered a cost-effective way to watch TV, have become so expensive that getting a handful to watch your favorite shows can rival your cable bill. And all these price hikes might have escaped notice by inching up a dollar or two at a time. Disney+ and Hulu prices will jump in October. Paramount+ goes up on Aug. 20. Peacock also raised its prices in August.
It might surprise you, but here are the current and upcoming prices and plans available for the eight major entertainment TV streamers (excluding bundles), plus Venu, the all-new sports-only service from Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox.
How much does Netflix cost?
◾ With ads: $6.99/month.
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◾ No Ads, two supported devices: $15.49/month (extra member slots can be added for $7.99 each).
◾ No ads, four supported devices, 4K: $22.99/month (extra member slots can be added for $7.99 each).
What you get: The original streamer often has the buzziest shows and movies, including "Baby Reindeer" and "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F," and a large library of content. There are also games, WWE Raw coming in 2025, some live events like comedy specials and the SAG Awards. The streamer is also dipping its toe into the waters of live sports and will have two NFL games on Christmas Day: the Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans.
How much does Disney+ cost?
◾ With Ads: $9.99/month.
◾ No Ads: $15.99 or $159.99/year.
What you get: It's not just kids stuff, Marvel and "Star Wars" anymore, but that's a lot of it! The family-friendly streamer also has popular originals like "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," live events like an Elton John concert and the Rock Hall induction ceremony and National Geographic programming. Prices effective on Oct. 17.
How much does Hulu cost?
◾ With Ads: $9.99/month or $99.99/year.
◾ No Ads: $18.99/month.
What you get: Hulu originals like "The Bear" and "Only Murders in the Building," plus some theatrical and streaming-only movies and next-day episodes from most ABC, Fox and FX series. Prices effective in October.
How much does Amazon Prime Video cost?
◾ Prime Video only with ads: $8.99/month.
◾ With ads and full Prime benefits, including free shipping: $14.99/month or $139/year.
◾ Ad-free and full Prime benefits: $17.98/month, or $139/year plus $2.99/month.
What you get: Amazon has the full gamut of shows from big-budget "Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" to your dad's favorites like "Reacher" and "Jack Ryan" and a wide variety of new and old movies and TV series. The service also has exclusive rights to the NFL's "Thursday Night Football."
How much does Max cost?
◾ With ads: $9.99/month or $99.99/year.
◾ Without ads: $16.99/month or $169.99/year.
◾ "Ultimate" without ads (4K, four supported devices): $20.99/month or $209.99/year.
What you get: All HBO content; originals including "The Sex Lives of College Girls"; Discovery programming from HGTV, TLC and Food Network; Turner Classic Movies; CNN content; and Warner Bros. movies such as "Barbie." Parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has recently shifted its highest-profile Max originals to HBO, including the upcoming Batman villain series "The Penguin," but they will still be available on Max. Some sports are available with an add-on subscription to Bleacher Report.
How much does Peacock cost?
◾ Premium (with ads): $7.99/month or $79.99/year.
◾ Premium Plus (without ads): $13.99/month or $139.99/year.
What you get: "The Office" is only on Peacock, along with next-day streams of NBC and Bravo content like "Saturday Night Live" and originals including "The Traitors" and "Poker Face." It is also the only streaming home for the Olympics, as well as other NBC sports such as "Sunday Night Football." You can also stream your local NBC affiliate, live.
How much does Paramount+ cost?
◾ Paramount+ Essential (with ads): $7.99/month or $59.99/year.
◾ Paramount+ with SHOWTIME (no ads): $12.99/month or $119.99/year.
What you get: CBS shows old and new, some classic movies and TV and originals like the "Frasier" reboot and the many "Yellowstone" spinoffs. You can stream CBS live, which includes any sports that air on CBS like NFL games, soccer and golf. You can also catch up on your CBS shows the next day. If you spring for the ad-free plan with Showtime, you also get that premium channel's content, including Emmy-nominated "Yellowjackets" and the "Dexter" revival.
How much does Apple TV+ cost?
◾ Without ads: $9.99/month.
What you get: Apple original series and movies, such as "Ted Lasso" and "Killers of the Flower Moon." Apple also has been making big plays in the sports world, with exclusive rights to "Friday Night Baseball" and Major League Soccer games. What Apple notably doesn't have is a large library of old shows and movies: It only has originals it's been making since the service was introduced in 2019.
How much does Venu cost?
◾ With ads: $42.99/month.
What you get: The new sports-only streamer provides a way to watch a lot (but not all) live sports for consumers who have cut the cable cord. The venture comes from Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, and Fox is due in time for the college football season and includes professional baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer leagues. College sports include NCAA football, NCAA men's and women's basketball, motorsports including NASCAR and Formula 1 events, Grand Slam tennis, golf, boxing and MMA. However, because Comcast and Paramount are not involved, sports that air on NBC or CBS, such as the Olympics and NFL games including "Sunday Night Football," aren't included. But Internet TV provider Fubo is suing Venu's owners for alleged antitrust violations, and a planned Aug. 23 launch date is threatened if a judge grants a temporary injunction.
You can easily compare the prices in the chart below.
So just how expensive is all that? Choosing monthly subscriptions to separate ad-supported plans for all eight streamers would run you $77.92, once announced price hikes take effect, excluding Venu. To get them ad-free, you'd pay $122.41. Add in Venu and that's $120.91 for the with-commercials plans and $165.40 for the ad-free plans.
So is the cost worth it? That depends on your individual tastes and priorities. Few consumers will opt for all eight major services, but if you want to watch every show nominated for the best drama and best comedy categories at this year's Emmy Awards, you'd need to subscribe to five of them.
It's a reminder to keep an eye on your credit card statements and be choosy about what services you really watch. Maybe you got Peacock for the Olympics but you've never watched a single show or movie. You could probably have canceled after the closing ceremony.
And with all these price increases and bundles, the old world of cable doesn't look so bad anymore.
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