• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
TechNetflix

It’s not just Netflix. Here’s how much streaming prices have gone up in the past 5 years

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 23, 2025, 12:13 PM ET
Netflix isn't the only streaming service to hike prices.
Netflix isn't the only streaming service to hike prices. Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Netflix’s announcement that it’s raising subscription fees despite record subscription growth has angered a lot of its customer base.

The increases, which are the first since October 2023 and the first to include the ad-supported model, will go into effect during subscribers’ next billing cycle. They’re aggravating for people on a budget, but they’re fast becoming typical among streaming services as the companies move from a customer acquisition to a monetization model.

Here’s a look at how much prices have increased for several of the top streaming and online broadcasting sites since January 2020 (or, in cases where the service hadn’t yet launched, since its debut), ranked from biggest jumps to smallest.

Disney+

Disney+ made a big impression in 2019 with a rate that was half of what Netflix was charging at the time: $6.99 per month. Things have gone up substantially since then.

The ad-free version of the service (for an apples-to-apples comparison) today costs $16 per month.

Five-year percentage increase: 129%

Netflix

Netflix has made a number of changes in the past five years, eliminating its entry-level plan and adding an ad-supported option. That entry-level basic plan, in 2020, cost just $8.99 per month. Today, the lowest costing ad-free option will run you $17.99 per month—$24.99 if you want to share your password with one extra member.

Five-year percentage increase: 100%

Apple TV+

Apple’s streaming service launched in 2019 with a cost of $4.99 per month, a rate that it held steady for quite some time, eventually adjusting it to $6.99 per month, then $9.99.

Five-year percentage increase: 100%

DirecTV Stream

This streaming service has gone through many names—and prices—but in 2020 subscribers paid $50 per month for 40-plus channels. Today, they’ll pay $87 for the entry-level package with over 90 channels.

Five-year percentage increase: 74%

YouTubeTV

YouTube’s live-TV streaming service turned a lot of heads when it launched in 2017 at $35 per month, dramatically undercutting cable companies. That didn’t last. In early 2020, the price was at $50 (and went up again later that year to $65). Today, it stands at $82.99 per month.

Five-year percentage increase: 66%

Paramount+

ViacomCBS’s streaming service didn’t go live until 2021. At the time, the base tier cost $4.99 (with ads). In July, Paramount Plus increased prices to $7.99 and $12.99 (with Showtime) per month.

Five-year percentage increase: 60%

Peacock

NBCUniversal’s Peacock launched in July 2020, at a cost of $4.99 per month for its ad-supported subscription. The service has since hiked that price to $7.99 (with the ad-free subscription jumping $2 to $11.99).

Five-year percentage increase: 60%

Sling TV

Sling’s lower-tiered “Orange” plan cost $30 per month in 2020. Adding the “Blue” plan bumped the cost to $45. Today, the Blue and Orange plans run $46 per month, and adding both together brings the cost to $61 per month.

Five-year percentage increase: 53% for a single service, 36% for the bundle

Hulu with Live TV

Hulu has undergone a number of evolutions since its launch, adding a live-TV service to its offerings in 2017. It charged subscribers $64.00 per month for that full package. Today, a Hulu + Live TV bundle will cost $82.99. (The tier with no ads for video on demand will run $95.99.)

Five-year percentage increase: 30%

Amazon Prime Video

While you can get Prime Video as a standalone (at $8.99 per month), most members take advantage of it being included in their larger Prime membership. That, of course, comes with a host of other benefits, ranging from expedited shipping to free cloud storage. So while the price has increased from $119 in 2020 to $139 today, it’s not an apples to apples comparison.

Five-year percentage increase: 17%

Max

When it launched as HBO Max in May of 2020, the streaming service charged members $15 a month for ad-free viewing, which was considered high at the time. Today, an ad-free subscription runs $16.99.

Five-year percentage increase: 13%

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on April 23, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo: George Chan/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Microsoft may cut thousands more jobs in a bid to control costs
By Andrew NuscaJuly 1, 2026
1 hour ago
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big TechNvidia
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
3 hours ago
Dell’s AI boom is real, but so is the profit margin hit nobody is pricing in
AIDell Technologies
Dell’s AI boom is real, but so is the profit margin hit nobody is pricing in
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 30, 2026
15 hours ago
Image of colored bar charts with one being pushed up.
NewslettersEye on AI
AI is minting billion-dollar companies faster than before
By Beatrice NolanJune 30, 2026
17 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei pointing to his head.
AIAnthropic
At the heart of Anthropic’s clashes with the U.S. government, a decision not to play by the new rules of Trump’s Washington
By Jeremy KahnJune 30, 2026
21 hours ago
wb
CommentaryLeadership
I grew BDO from $600 million to $3.4 billion. Here’s the 3-part formula that made it possible
By Wayne BersonJune 30, 2026
22 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
6 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
AI
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
By Catherina GioinoJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
23 hours ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.