Every Streaming Service Price Increase in 2026 (Updated Monthly)
All 8 major streaming services cost $133/month combined for ad-free plans — rivaling old cable bills. Track every 2026 price change here.
All eight major US streaming services have raised prices at least once since 2024, and the combined cost of ad-free subscriptions now totals $133 per month. That is $1,596 per year — more than many Americans paid for cable at its peak. This page tracks every confirmed 2026 price change as they happen.
Current 2026 pricing: every major service
| Service | Ad-Supported | Ad-Free | Premium/4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix | $7.99 | $17.99 | $24.99 |
| Disney+ | $9.99 | $17.99 | — |
| Max | $9.99 | $16.99 | $20.99 |
| Hulu | $9.99 | $18.99 | — |
| Amazon Prime Video | $14.99* | $14.99* | — |
| Apple TV+ | — | $12.99 | — |
| Paramount+ | $7.99 | $12.99 | — |
| Peacock | $7.99 | $13.99 | — |
*Amazon Prime Video is bundled with Prime membership. All tiers include ads by default since January 2024; ad-free costs an additional $2.99/month.
Combined ad-supported total: ~$83/month ($996/year). Combined ad-free total: ~$133/month ($1,596/year).
The price increase timeline: 2024–2026
The pace of increases has accelerated. Netflix raised US prices seven times since 2014, with the Premium tier climbing from $11.99 to $24.99 — a 108% cumulative increase. Disney+ holds the record for fastest percentage growth: from $6.99 at November 2019 launch to $17.99 ad-free in 2026, a 157% increase in just seven years.
Hulu's ad-free tier jumped 58% from $11.99 to $18.99. Apple TV+ went from the industry's cheapest at $4.99 to $12.99 — a 160% increase, though it remains competitive given its all-original, ad-free library. Peacock's Premium Plus tier rose from $9.99 at launch to $13.99.
Amazon took a different approach: rather than raising the headline Prime price (already $14.99/month), it introduced ads to Prime Video in January 2024 and charged $2.99/month extra to remove them — effectively a price increase for the ad-free experience that most subscribers previously enjoyed.
Why prices keep rising
Three forces drive the increases:
- Content costs: Global content spending reached $255 billion in 2026. Netflix alone plans ~$20 billion. These costs must be recouped through subscription revenue, advertising, or both.
- Profitability pressure: Wall Street pivoted from rewarding subscriber growth to demanding profits. Disney's streaming segment went from $4 billion in annual losses to $1.33 billion in operating income — achieved primarily through price increases and ad-tier revenue.
- Mature markets: US streaming penetration exceeds 85% of broadband households. With fewer new subscribers to add, revenue growth must come from higher ARPU (average revenue per user).
How to protect yourself
Ad-supported tiers are the industry's pressure valve. Netflix with ads ($7.99) delivers the same content library as Standard ($17.99), saving $120/year for 4-5 minutes of ads per hour. The Disney+/Hulu/Max bundle with ads costs $16.99/month versus $57.97 for all three ad-free tiers separately — a 71% discount.
Annual plans, when offered, typically save 15-20% over monthly billing. Black Friday and holiday promotions can cut prices by 50-80% — Peacock and Paramount+ have historically offered the deepest discounts. And the rotation strategy outlined in our rotation calendar remains the most effective approach, cutting annual costs from $996 to under $360.