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Several major streaming services announced subscription price increases at the end of March 2026, amid a growing trend toward offering ad-supported plans alongside ad-free options. Netflix raised prices across all its plans, with the Standard with Ads plan now priced at $8.99 per month, up by one dollar. The regular Standard plan increased by two dollars to $19.99, while the Premium plan rose to $26.99.
Similarly, HBO Max, which reverted to its former name in summer 2025, raised the price of its Basic with Ads subscription by one dollar. Peacock also saw a significant increase in the price of its Premium ad-supported plan, which rose from $7.99 to $10.99 per month.
Price Variations and Plan Diversity
These increases come amid a general rise in streaming service prices, with reports indicating that prices have increased by more than 20% since 2023 for both ad-supported and ad-free plans. Most services now offer multiple options, including monthly and annual subscriptions, as well as bundles combining several services such as Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.
For example, the Disney+ subscription with ads costs $11.99 per month following an increase in October 2025, while the ad-free subscription costs $18.99 per month. Disney+ and Hulu also offer joint bundles with varying prices depending on the presence of ads.
Impact of Inflation and Market Changes
The rise in streaming service prices is linked to increased inflation affecting various economic sectors, including grocery and fuel costs. Additionally, growing competition among streaming platforms is driving them to diversify their offerings between ad-supported and ad-free plans to meet different viewer needs.
In a related development, YouTube TV raised the price of its basic plan to $82.99 per month, matching the Hulu + Live TV package from Disney.
It is worth noting that Apple TV, which dropped the "+" from its name in October 2023, increased its monthly subscription price to $9.99 from $6.99, while offering promotional deals to attract new subscribers.
This news has been re-edited based on a report published on deadline.com, while maintaining the core facts presented in the original source.
