Price Increases: How Streaming Services Are Getting More Expensive

So yeah, my bank statement’s a disaster—Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, all of it. Subscriptions were supposed to make things easier, but now there’s this “streamflation” thing on top of regular inflation. I didn’t sign up for this.

Recent Subscription Price Hikes

I scrolled through press releases so you don’t have to—last year, Netflix just straight-up jumped to $13.99 for Standard. Disney+ shot up 27% to $13.99, and that’s before add-ons. Hulu? $17.99 for ad-free as of fall 2024. Sometimes it’s a stealth hike—one day it’s normal, next day it’s $3 more and I didn’t even leave the couch.

I asked around—my accountant friend and a “budget hacker” both say the same thing: price hikes never match new content. More niche shows, same clunky interface. The Los Angeles Times said the top 10 streamers bumped prices by about 10% in 2022, then doubled down in 2023. It’s not just one company—everybody’s doing it.

Industry-Wide Streamflation

Streamflation is basically a chain reaction. One company raises prices, the rest follow. Apple TV+ jumped from $6.99 to $9.99. Prime Video now charges $2.99 to remove ads, even though “Prime benefits” were supposed to cover that? I have a spreadsheet of all the price changes, but after six or seven services, who’s counting? (My dad, apparently—he’s still living off free trials and fake emails.)

USA TODAY asked if bundles are worth it—spoiler: not really. Companies say it’s “price normalization.” I overheard that at some tech meetup I crashed by accident. Translation: once one service raises prices, the rest quietly match, hoping you won’t bother to cancel.

The Role of Inflation on Media Costs

Inflation isn’t just some abstract headline—it’s why my $15 streaming lineup is now $22 and I’m just rotating which app to cancel next. Media execs blame higher production costs: more shows, higher actor pay, and, according to some Paramount guy on LinkedIn, absurdly expensive sports rights.

But the weirdest part is ad-supported plans still cost $7 to $10, and now they sneak in more commercials than ever. CBC.ca says it’s not just a feeling—monthly totals really are up. “Unbundling” just led to more bundles and stacking prices, so now my entertainment budget feels like it’s under attack from every direction. Best I can do is try to unsubscribe before the free trial ends, which, let’s be honest, I manage about half the time.

Major Streaming Platforms and Their Pricing Strategies

If you’re like me, you just want to binge The Bear or Stranger Things and—bam—your wallet takes a hit you forgot about. Every brand sends those numbing price hike emails, but I’ve lost track of what I’m paying. They’re all playing games: hiding ultra-HD behind pricier tiers, turning “ad-free” into “mostly ad-free,” making bundles that never include the stuff you actually want. Total chaos. And yet, every “free trial” still gets me.

Netflix

Explaining Netflix to my grandma used to be easy. One price, everything included, no ads, no nonsense. Now? I swear there are three, maybe four, tiers—Standard with ads (cheaper, but, well, ads), Standard (no ads, but forget about Ultra HD), and then Premium, which is supposed to have everything but costs $23 a month as of June 2025. And that’s not even counting the “extra member” fees. I mean, how many profiles do I need? Who’s even tracking this stuff? I’m not.

I saw this New York Times piece—Netflix claims it’s about rising content costs and people sharing passwords, but then they’re out here pumping out new originals every week. They literally said on an earnings call, “We are focused on maximizing revenue per member.” Translation: pay up if you want Ultra HD, or if you want your mom to have her own login (that’s $8 more, by the way). But people stick around, myself included, because, I don’t know, the FOMO is real. Miss a new season and suddenly you’re out of the loop at work.

Disney+

Trying to figure out if Disney+ ever saves me money just makes my head hurt. Why does The Mandalorian cost more every year? Launched at $6.99, now it’s $14 for ad-free, and if you want Hulu with it, that’s $20-something. Maybe. I don’t know, their website is a mess of bundles and tiny disclaimers. Feels like the price changes every time I blink—some new “deal” or promo I missed by a day.

USA TODAY blames “streamflation” and production costs. A friend who works at Disney told me, “Always check your renewal dates—bundles make downgrading a pain.” I can’t even get the latest Pixar stuff in 4K unless I pay more, and if you want multiple profiles or higher res, that’s another $3-5. What even is in the Vault now? I’m not sure I care.