What to Know About Streaming Services Raising Prices

Several streaming platforms are hiking subscription rates, potentially impacting monthly entertainment budgets for people.

Paramount+, Max, Spotify, and Twitch recently announced they would raise prices for their various subscription plans in an aim to fortify their positions in a competitive landscape.

Here’s what to know about recent streaming price increases.

Paramount+ to raise prices beginning in August

Variety reported in June that Paramount+ is set to raise subscription costs. For new subscribers, the cost of the ad-free Paramount+ With Showtime plan will rise by $1 to $12.99 a month, while the Paramount+ Essential plan (with ads) will cost $7.99 a month, increasing by $2, starting Aug. 20.

Existing Paramount+ subscribers will see the increase to the Paramount+ With Showtime plan go into effect in their next billing date on or after Sept. 20, and the price of the Paramount+ Essential plan will stay at the same rate of $5.99 a month. Customers who subscribe to the legacy Paramount+ Limited Commercial plan will see a rise in cost by $1, to $7.99 a month.

Max increases prices across ad-free plans 

At the start of 2023, Max raised its prices for the first time, and a little over a year later, the platform is increasing the price again. The cheapest option will now cost $16.99, going up $1, and the yearly plan will increase to $169.99 from $149.00. For subscribers to Max’s “Ultimate Ad-Free” plan, the cost will increase by $1 a month, going up to $20.99 per month. The yearly subscription to that plan will go up to $209.99.

The price change will take effect immediately, and existing subscribers will see it in their next billing cycle. This change also comes less than two weeks before the new season of House of the Dragon airs on the platform and shortly after it was announced that Disney+, Max, and Hulu would be bundling their streaming services.

Read more: The Streaming Wars Have Entered Their Chaos Era

Spotify Premium plan price goes up 

For Spotify, this marks the second time in a year that the platform has adjusted its prices, a move it justifies in its FAQ section: “As we continue to grow our platform, we are updating our Premium prices so that we can keep innovating in changing market conditions. These updates will help us continue delivering value to fans.”

The music streaming service will be increasing its price for its ad-free tiers. The price of the Spotify Premium plan is changing from $10.99 to $11.99 per month, and the family plan’s price hike is a bit steeper, coming in at about $3—going from $16.99 to $19.99 per month.

Twitch raises prices 

Twitch, the live-streaming platform owned by Amazon, also joined Spotify and Max in raising their prices. The price hike will go in effect in over 30 regions, including the U.S., Europe, and New Zealand. The price will go from $4.99 to $5.99 in the U.S.

“As part of our efforts to help creators build and grow their communities worldwide, the following countries received subscription price adjustments as a part of Local Subscription Pricing,” the platform wrote on its website. 

After the price increase was announced, a Twitch streamer asked the platform on X if this meant streamers would be getting a bigger cut. “Streamers will continue earning according to their revenue share (50-70% depending on their current Plus Program tier),” the post reads. “Streamers will make more money per subscription with the price increase.”

Related Posts

A Virtual LAN Party Is Coming To Steam

Thanks to high-speed internet and other cultural shifts, in-person LAN parties are largely a thing of the past beyond special occasions. However, there’s a LAN Party app…

CoD- Warzone Is Removing This Map Very Soon, Giving One Last Week To Play

Call of Duty: Warzone developer Raven Software has announced that one of the battle royale’s Resurgence maps will soon see its last week in the game. In…

Core Is A Roblox-Style Sandbox Game, And It's Out Now On The Epic Games Store

Manticore Games has just launched Core, a new sandbox game powered by user-generated content, allowing players to explore a multiverse full of different activities and stories to…

Elden Ring PC Frame Rate Issues, PS5 Save Loss Being Looked Into

Elden Ring is available now, and it’s one of the best-reviewed games of all time, building on From Software’s Souls formula with an open world, mounted combat,…

Endless Dungeon Delayed To October, Switch Release Date Coming Later

Amplitude Studios and Sega have announced that Endless Dungeon has been delayed to October 19. The game was originally set to launch on May 18. Come from Sports…

Halo Infinite Vehicles List- The Best Vehicles For Halo Multiplayer

Halo Infinite vehicles continue the series’ storied history with combat coming from not just the barrel of a gun, but also from behind the wheel of various…