It’s said that the only things guaranteed in life are death and taxes, but I think we might be able to add ”price increases for streaming services" to that list as well. Prices for our favorite streaming services are always increasing, and if you have a Paramount+ subscription, then you’re about to go through it again.
Paramount+ has new owners following the purchase of the company by Skydance. Those new owners have now announced the first price increase for the streaming platform under their watch. New CEO David Ellison is promising it's all worth it.
Paramount+ Is Getting A Price Increase In Early 2026
Paramount+ is set to see a price increase on January 15, 21026, with both the ad-supported and ad-free tiers of the service jumping by one dollar to $8.99 and $13.99, respectively. However, in a letter to investors (via Deadline), new CEO David Ellison said the higher prices will “fuel continued reinvestment” in the platform, and that reinvestment will make Paramount+ better. He claimed…
Our ongoing investments in Paramount+ are enhancing the value we deliver to consumers.
To be fair, there is added value coming to Paramount+ in 2026 as the platform is becoming the new home for a major sports property that is likely to bring an influx of new subscribers. And they'll likely think that extra dollar on the monthly price is a pretty good deal.
UFC Is Coming To Paramount+
The price increase for Paramount+ does come alongside a major new addition to the platform in the form of the UFC. The combat sports company’s current deal with ESPN will end at the end of 2025, and all future UFC events will take place on Paramount+.
While the Paramount+ price increase isn’t being directly tied to the addition of UFC, it’s strongly indicated by Ellison that the two are related. This is because while UFC PPV events still had an additional cost on top of the subscription when they were on ESPN, they will be included for all Paramount+ subscribers with the standard pricing.
Certainly, for any Paramount+ subscriber who is going to be watching UFC, that extra dollar is likely money well spent that absolutely does enhance the value of the service. For those who won’t be watching UFC and are mostly watching Paramount+ because they're Star Trek fans or watch every version of NCIS, the price increase probably doesn’t feel like it enhances much.
The streaming landscape is going through a lot of changes as it continues to try and figure out its place in the market. With Paramount still reportedly very interested in purchasing Warner Bros., we could see major upheaval in the streaming world as any such merger would have a major impact on Paramount+ and HBO Max, two of the largest current streaming platforms.
