**Streaming Services Continue to Raise Prices in 2025: Essential Information**
If you were expecting a reprieve from the escalating streaming subscription costs in 2025, you may need to reconsider. Numerous prominent streaming services have already raised their prices this year, perpetuating a pattern that has left a lot of subscribers feeling dissatisfied. With no clear end in sight, the expense of streaming is turning into a significant worry for consumers, particularly as questions about content quality and overall value arise.
### **The Escalating Costs of Streaming**
In recent years, streaming services have persistently increased their subscription fees, frequently outpacing inflation and traditional pay-TV expenses. A 2024 Deloitte report indicated that nearly half of U.S. consumers surveyed would terminate their preferred streaming service if the price increased by merely $5. Likewise, a 2025 eMarketer report showed that ad-free streaming plans have experienced price increases that significantly exceed inflation since 2023.
Compounding the frustration, an increasing number of subscribers believe that the content provided by streaming services does not warrant the higher costs. According to a 2024 TiVo survey, fewer subscribers rated their streaming platforms as having “moderate to very good” content compared to previous years. As many services reduce their content offerings while raising prices, consumer discontent is growing.
Notably, despite these grievances, streaming services are becoming increasingly profitable, suggesting that the price increases are unlikely to cease in the near future. Below, we detail the latest price adjustments for five major streaming platforms and the factors influencing these changes.
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### **1. Fubo**
Fubo, specializing in sports streaming, increased its subscription fees by $5 per month in January 2025. The lowest plan now costs $85, and the highest plan is $95. This price hike occurs amid Fubo’s ongoing financial challenges—it has yet to become profitable since its inception in 2015. The company linked the increase to rising costs from its programming partners.
Interestingly, Fubo’s price increase coincided with Disney’s announcement to acquire a majority stake in the service. This development has sparked speculation that the hike is related to the broader consolidation in the streaming industry.
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### **2. Netflix**
Netflix, the largest streaming service in the world, raised its subscription fees last week. The Standard ad-free plan surged from $15.50 to $18 per month, and the Premium ad-free plan increased from $23 to $25. Even the ad-supported tier saw a $1 hike, now priced at $8 per month.
Netflix defended these price increases by citing a rise in content expenditure, which is expected to grow from $17 billion in 2024 to $18 billion in 2025. The company is focusing on high-budget scripted shows, live programming, and original content. Furthermore, Netflix is significantly boosting its ad-supported tier, aiming for a major increase in ad revenue in 2025.
Despite the higher prices, Netflix benefits from strong customer loyalty, with lower churn rates than its rivals. This loyalty allows the company more flexibility to raise prices without losing a substantial part of its subscriber base.
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### **3. Discovery+**
Discovery+ lifted its monthly subscription costs by $1 in January 2025, raising the price of the ad-supported plan to $6 and the ad-free plan to $10. This follows a $2 increase for the ad-free plan in October 2023. Although Discovery+ has a smaller audience compared to its counterpart Max, it enjoys a low churn rate and profitability, making it less risky for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to experiment with higher prices.
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### **4. AMC+**
AMC+ implemented price hikes on January 15, 2025. The ad-supported plan saw an increase of $2, now priced at $7 per month, while the ad-free plan rose by $1 to $10 per month. Annual ad-free subscriptions also experienced an $8 increase, now amounting to $96.
AMC Networks justified the increased rates by highlighting the addition of new seasons of popular shows and plans for exclusive new films. The company has also noted a 7% year-over-year increase in streaming revenue in Q3 2024, partially attributed to prior price hikes.
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### **5. YouTube TV**
YouTube TV, Google’s live TV streaming service, augmented its monthly subscription price by $10 in January 2025, bringing it to $83. Google pointed to rising content costs and enhancements in service quality as reasons for the increase. However, the timing of this announcement raised questions, as it came just days after the company had denied any intentions to raise prices.
Since its launch in 2017 at $35 per month, YouTube TV has undergone consistent price hikes, making it one of the priciest live TV streaming choices. Nevertheless, the service has positioned itself as the fourth-largest pay-TV provider in the U.S. and is projected to become the largest by 2026.
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