Streaming prices—yeah, they’re spiraling again. Anyone else get a weird pit in their stomach when the bank statement shows Netflix is somehow even pricier than last year? And Max…oh, don’t get me started, $20.99 a month for 4K, and that’s before you even think about extras. Is this a prank? I swear, picking which subscriptions to actually keep is the only move left. My buddy insists Paramount+ is “all you need,” but then half my shows just vanish overnight. “Content unavailable.” Classic.

Honestly, I should’ve canceled Hulu before their price hike, but nope, they beat me to it. Latest price hikes? Netflix’s standard plan is $17.99 now, and ad-free everywhere costs more than my old cable bill ever did. Wasn’t streaming supposed to be cheap? Like, that was the whole pitch, right? Meanwhile, every new release gets the “must-see” badge, but—did you see that Nielsen report?—people actually watch less than 18% of their library each month. I keep Netflix for the algorithm. Not sure that’s a good reason, but here we are.

There’s this weird pressure to subscribe to everything so you don’t miss out at work, but honestly? I dropped Peacock months ago. Nothing changed—except I sleep better now, not bingeing murder docs at 2 a.m. Some analyst (was it CNBC?) said skip the new premium tiers unless you’re obsessed with ad-free UHD, ‘cause the ad tiers are cheaper and not rising as fast. If you’re taking notes: nobody’s handing out trophies for keeping every subscription alive.

Overview of Streaming Service Price Increases

Prices just keep climbing, faster than I can finish one of those endless true crime series. Figuring out which increases are legit and which are just noise? Good luck. Streaming in 2024 doesn’t look—or cost—anything like it did even a couple years ago. And I’m not sure that’s progress.

What’s Driving Price Hikes?

So why do these prices keep creeping up? Boardroom shenanigans, probably. Every time I hear “content is king,” I can practically hear my wallet groan. Tech investors and analysts—Jessica Reif Ehrlich at BofA Securities comes to mind—say streaming execs want more cash per user and blame production costs and licensing for every bump. But it’s also just…greed? Or maybe they’re chasing growth that doesn’t exist post-pandemic. Who knows.

Now every service has an ad-supported tier, which is a little cheaper but not by much. Subscription fatigue is real, apparently. Netflix and Disney+ just copy each other’s price hikes—nobody wants to be the “cheap” one. And consolidation? That was supposed to help, but I swear, if I got a dollar every time someone said it’d save us money, I’d have…what, enough for half a month of Max?

Notable 2024 Trends

2024 totally killed the “streaming is cheap” myth. Netflix is now $17.99 a month for Standard—no live sports, no local news, just no ads. Hulu with Live TV? It’s almost $70, and there’s talk of it jumping to $76.99. My neighbor ditched cable for less than that, and now look at us.

Apple TV+ is hiking too. Even with bundles like Apple One, the streaming prices sneak up anyway. CableTV.com’s streaming report lays out every single tweak, and it’s not subtle. Multiple increases a year, and “introductory” prices? Those are gone before you even notice. Password sharing crackdowns? They supposedly “protect value,” but mostly just make things annoying.

Comparison to Traditional TV

I ditched cable ages ago thinking I’d save money and never rent a cable box again. Now, if I stack enough services to keep up with what everyone’s watching, I’m not just matching my old cable bill—I’m blowing past it. There’s a USA TODAY chart showing the average cost for a few services together is over $70. That’s not even counting add-ons.

At least cable was predictable. Now, it’s a guessing game with random price jumps and surprise fees. Streaming turned into a maze—pay for bundles or drop half your queue. Nobody warned us about constant library churn, but apparently, that’s the only thing you can count on.

Key Streaming Platforms Raising Prices

What really gets me: streaming platforms pick the weirdest moments to jack up prices. They’ll toss in new features or “bundled content” as if that softens the blow, but it’s always my budget that feels it.

netflix

Netflix—where do I start? Another price jump, and I need a spreadsheet to keep up. Prices keep drifting up, ad-free plans inching toward $16.99/month, and that’s not even the top tier. Sharing passwords? Ha, not anymore. The real twist is the premium plan feels like a luxury now—like, “sure, add guac” levels of splurge.

I know people who quit right after the last hike. “Not worth it,” they said, and honestly, I get it. I’m stuck weighing Netflix against, like, actual groceries. Deloitte said something about this in 2023—can’t remember the number, but it was a lot. Stranger Things nostalgia only goes so far.

But they know we don’t want to be left out when everyone’s talking about the latest docuseries. It’s basically a FOMO tax.

disney+

Disney+—oh boy. Last year, they jacked the ad-free tier by 27%, now it’s $13.99/month. “Premium,” they call it. For who? Marvel kids? The Mouse wants your money, and they’re not subtle about it. Disney+ price hikes always come with some big Marvel or Star Wars announcement.

What really grinds my gears: they keep splitting up legacy content into new paid bundles. Try explaining to your dad why Bambi isn’t included unless he pays extra—good luck. Would Walt have wanted this? Doubt it, but someone’s gotta pay those $200 million CGI bills.

And don’t get me started on the ad tier. My niece asked why Elsa was selling insurance. I didn’t have an answer.

hulu

Hulu’s price hikes are like gym fees—just sneaky enough to catch you off guard. The ad-free plan? Up to $17.99/month. And then there’s the endless bundles, always “limited time.” It’s the old trick: keep the ad plan “affordable,” but quietly push the premium up until you’re too nervous to downgrade.

Hulu’s basically become my cable replacement, feeding me reality TV and old sitcoms so I never unsubscribe. Analysts say Hulu’s price hikes are outpacing inflation. I trust them more than my own budgeting. Those “value” graphs? I’ve seen them. But nothing beats the gut punch of late-night reruns costing more than coffee.

And yet, half my friends use someone else’s login. Who’s paying? Apparently, me—the sucker.

max

MAX (still can’t call it that without rolling my eyes)—the rebrand is weird, but the price hikes are worse. “Standard ad-free” is now $16.99/month. Every ad-free Max plan launches with new originals or blockbuster hype, but honestly, I only notice the same old catalog shuffle.

Execs blamed “content investments” in a March 2024 call, but all I see is the same Sopranos rewatch. Here’s a tip: unsubscribe for a month, and Max will probably email you a discount. Their bundle chaos—so many plan options when you log in—makes me want to invent a spreadsheet for regret.

Nobody I know keeps Max all year. We swap logins and time everything around big premieres. It’s guilt, chaos, and a monthly bill.