Death. Taxes. All your streaming services are getting a little more expensive. Apparently, these are the new certainties in life.
In recent years, as the TV and movie streaming business has become more competitive and Hollywood companies have invested billions in building their own platforms and libraries to compete with Netflix, participating in the era of streaming has become increasingly expensive. Netflix has increased the cost of its subscription several times since its launch. Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus have become more expensive as Disney has invested more in streaming. Paramount Plus, Peacock, Shudder, Starz (pretty much any service you can name) charge more per month than they did a few years ago. Although many of these services add ads to their platforms, they still charge more.
What’s behind all this wallet theft? A confluence of things. As more customers cancel cable, faster than anyone expected, studios and distributors are looking for a way to make up for lost revenue. Good shows and movies are more in demand than ever and therefore more expensive. And after a decade of spending money like it was going out of style because all investors worried about was subscriber numbers, Hollywood actors of all sizes have found themselves needing to make money to stay in business. .
Companies look for all possible ways to improve their results. They’re cracking down on password sharing, canceling programs to get tax breaks, and even selling their precious content to other platforms. But the most common strategy is to simply charge you, the viewer, more. One dollar here, two dollars there. Add it all up, and the golden age of television suddenly has a pretty surprising price of entry.
We’re tracking all price increases and other changes to streaming services so you can make sure you’re only paying for what you want. (We will also include discounts and offers, although they seem to be happening less and less.) Here’s the latest:
