Last year, we set out to chronicle the number of price hikes we’d see across streaming platforms. It had started to feel like every day, a streaming platform would raise its prices and increase its costs to subscribers. And that turned out to be… basically true. In 2025, we saw a total of SIX streaming price hikes — averaging out to about one cost increase every other month. While in a vacuum, streaming price increases can feel immaterial, taken altogether, the constant cost hikes are INTENSE. So this year, we’re doing it again. Join us as we take a look at every streaming price hike and cost increase in 2026. Will we be over or under the 2025 total? We’re already tied at 6 streaming price hikes in 2026 and 2025… So under is off the table… And over is looking likely.
Table of Contents; Jump To:
- All the Streaming Price Hikes in 2026
- 9/23/26 – Disney+ and Hulu Raise Prices for the 4th Time in 4 Years
- 8/26/26 – Apple TV Sets Price Hike
- 8/18/26 – Peacock Raises Prices for All Tiers
- 4/10/26 – YouTube Premium Raises Its Costs
- 3/26/26 – Netflix Increases Costs Across All Subscription Tiers
- 3/13/26 – Prime Video Increases Price of Ad-Free Tier
- How Many Streaming Price Increases Will We See in 2026?
All the Streaming Price Hikes in 2026
9/23/26 – Disney+ and Hulu Raise Prices for the 4th Time in 4 Years
Disney+ and Hulu saw all these other streamers raising prices and thought, hey, why not. The streamers have now officially raised prices for the fourth time in four years. Our least favorite annual event.
This time, Disney wants to push people to subscribe to its Disney+ and Hulu bundle and keep them from subscribing to each streamer separately by raising individual prices. This could be because people are less likely to unsubscribe from bundles or because having people suddenly subscribe to Hulu will look good for the streamer. It’s hard to say. But regardless, Disney+ and Hulu have raised prices.
Disney+ Premium and Hulu Premium, the supposedly ad-free plans, are seeing prices increase from $18.99 to $21.49/month, which means the costs are up 13%. Hence, to subscribe to both separately would be foolish when the Disney+ and Hulu bundle is just 50 cents more expensive. (But it did also see a price increase.) The Disney+/Hulu Premium bundle raised its price by $2/month, from $19.99 to $21.99.
Meanwhile, ad-supported plans for Disney+ and Hulu, where the streamers clearly want you to be, also increased in price, changing from $11.99 to $12.49/month each. Only the Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) bundle saw no price hike and remains at $12.99/month.
In 2023, the ad-free Disney+ plan cost $10.99 a month, which means it has basically doubled in cost in three years. The Hollywood Reporter notes that since 2022, streaming inflation has risen about three times faster than the broader inflation rate—which considering the times we live in, is a wild fact. And, of course, all of this comes on the heels of Disney+ blurring the lines of what an “ad-free” plan even means. We live in a society.
8/26/26 – Apple TV Sets Price Hike
Apple TV’s latest subscription cost increase adds to our total of streaming price hikes in 2026. While we have loved Apple TV’s recent offerings, including Widow’s Bay and Severance, we’re not sure we love any one program enough to keep paying more and more.
Apple TV will now cost $14.99 per month, which is $2 price hike from its previous price of $12.99. The annual plan also rises to $119.99, a $20 increase in cost from its previous price of $99.
Apple’s bundle offering, Apple One will also become more expensive. Individual plans will see a price increase of $2, from $19.95 to $21.95 per month. Apple One bundles Apple TV, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, storage, and other features.
8/18/26 – Peacock Raises Prices for All Tiers
There was a quiet stretch of no streaming price hikes from April to August in 2026, but Peacock broke that peace by instituting price increases across ALL its tiers. This is Peacock’s fourth increase in streaming prices in four years.
Here is the damage of this streaming price hike:
- A Peacock Select monthly subscription is now $8.99/month (up from $7.99). This is an increase of $1 per month.
- A Peacock Premium monthly subscription is now $12.99/month (up from $10.99). This is an increase of $2 per month.
- A Peacock Premium Plus monthly subscription is now $19.99/month (up from $16.99). This is an increase of $3 per month.
- A Peacock Select annual subscription is now $89.99/year (up from $79.99). This is an increase of $20 per year.
- A Peacock Premium annual subscription is now $129.99/year (up from $109.99). This is an increase of $20 per year.
- A Peacock Premium Plus annual subscription is now $199.99/year (up from $169.99). This is an increase of $30 per year.
Why is Peacock increasing its prices? Here’s what Peacock has to say about these price hikes: “These price changes allow Peacock to continue to create the best experience for its viewers, remain competitive in the marketplace, and deliver unique content across all genres. Current annual subscribers, or any users on active promotional offers, will continue at their current prices until those plans or offers expire. Subscriptions will then renew at the new price.”
In sum, the usual—the streamer needs a price hike to deliver unmeasurable content and use experience upgrades, while the consumer pays more in measurable cash.
4/10/26 – YouTube Premium Raises Its Costs
In April, it was time for the THIRD price increase of the year. Joining the streamers increasing their subscription cost is YouTube Premium and all its offerings: YouTube Premium, YouTube Premium Lite, and YouTube Music. Here’s the damage:
- YouTube Premium sees a $2 per month price increase, from $13.99 to $15.99.
- YouTube Music sees a $1 per month price increase, from $10.99 to $11.99
- YouTube Premium Lite sees a $1 per month price increase, from $7.99 to $8.99
- The YouTube family plan is increasing by $4 per month, from $22.99 to $26.99. This tier allows up to six people in the same arbitrary household to access the account.
This is YouTube Premium’s first increase since 2023. YouTube cites new improvements to Premium as the reason for the cost increases… But ain’t that always the way.
3/26/26 – Netflix Increases Costs Across All Subscription Tiers
Nearly three full months into the year, we had our second streaming price increase. Netflix raised its costs across all streaming subscription tiers. Here’s the breakdown:
- Netflix’s Standard with Ads Plan went from $6.99 to $8.99/month.
- Netflix’s Standard (No Ads) Plan went from $17.99 to $19.99/month.
- Netflix’s Premium Plan went from $24.99. to $26.99/month. It inches VERY close to $30/month.
This time, we didn’t see any added perks associated with the 2026 price increase. AND this increase in Netflix cost comes just about ONE year after the last time the streaming platform raised its prices. You can read all about it here.
3/13/26 – Prime Video Increases Price of Ad-Free Tier
We saw our first streaming price hike of 2026 in March. Prime Video raised the price of its ad-free tier for the first time. Nominally, we understand this increase to be aimed at driving subscribers toward subscription tiers with ads. But we have to ask. Once subscribers all move to ad-supported plans, will the subscription cost increases STOP? If not, then we again have to ask, where does it end?
Originally, the Prime Video ad-free tier cost an additional $2.99/month on top of the Prime subscription. Now, the Prime Video ad-free tier is seeing a price hike of $2/month, bringing the cost to $4.99/month. You can read all about it here.
How Many Streaming Price Increases Will We See in 2026?
So how will streaming price hikes stack up in 2026? It’s too soon to tell, but we’ve seen six price hikes already, the same as 2025 saw in total, so… right now, it’s looking like another year full of streaming cost increases. Will consumers finally have enough? Will moving to ad-supported tiers stop the price hikes from coming? Will we simply see a model where consumers subscribe and then unsubscribe? Only time will tell.
But what we can tell is that if you’re subscribed to most streamers, you’re paying AT LEAST around $15 more per month right now than you were in 2025. That may not seem like a lot… but there doesn’t seem to be a ceiling on price increases either.
Originally published in April 8, 2026.
The post Every Streaming Cost Increase In 2026: Disney+ Sees 4th Price Hike in 4 Years appeared first on Nerdist.
Source: Kiat Media
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