Paramount Plus is going up in price again. As part of its earnings report released on Monday, Paramount announced that it will raise prices for subscribers in the US on January 15th, 2026, bringing the ad-supported Essential plan from $7.99 to $8.99 per month, while the ad-free Premium plan will go from $12.99 to $13.99 per month.
Paramount says the price increase will “fuel continued reinvestment in the user experience and deliver an even stronger slate of programming” going forward. Like many other streamers, Paramount has hiked the price of its streaming service on an almost yearly basis. Paramount Plus raised prices in 2023 before hiking them further last June. It also recently raised prices in Canada and Australia.
The price change comes just months after Paramount completed its deal to merge with Skydance, kicking off some big shifts at the company, including mass layoffs and the appointment of The Free Press founder Bari Weiss as the head of CBS News. Paramount has also announced that it will require employees to return to the office full-time, five days a week, starting in January.
During Skydance’s first few months of ownership, Paramount Plus added 1.4 million subscribers, bringing its total to 79.1 million. Paramount struck a $7.7 billion deal that will bring live UFC fights to its streaming service as well.
Along with price hikes, Paramount revealed that it’s “retiring” free trials for its streaming service and “reviewing discount practices.” The company also plans to update the technology stack behind Paramount Plus and its free, ad-supported streaming service Pluto TV to enhance their performance, and is looking into how it can use AI to offer better personalization and recommendations.
Update, November 10th: Added pricing information.
It’s interesting to see how streaming services are adjusting their prices over time. This trend seems to be a common theme in the industry lately. It’ll be important for subscribers to weigh their options as changes come into play.
I agree, it’s definitely a notable trend. With so many competing services, it’ll be interesting to see how this price increase affects subscriber retention for Paramount Plus. Consumers are becoming more selective, so value will be key!
see how Paramount Plus justifies the price increase to retain its subscribers. It might be worth watching if they add more exclusive content or features to enhance the value for users.
It’s definitely interesting to see how they’ll explain this hike to keep subscribers engaged. With more competition in the streaming market, they might need to enhance their content offerings or features to justify that increase. It’ll be worth watching how they respond!
It’s true that subscriber retention will be a challenge. It will be crucial for Paramount Plus to highlight any new content or features they plan to introduce alongside the price increase to justify the cost. Engaging original programming could be a key factor in maintaining their audience.
You’re right; retaining subscribers will be essential for Paramount Plus as they increase prices. It might help if they offer exclusive content or bundle deals to keep viewers engaged and satisfied. That way, they can better justify the hike!
Absolutely! It will be interesting to see how they plan to enhance their content offerings to justify the price hike. Engaging original programming could be a key factor in keeping subscribers happy and loyal.