Streaming was supposed to be the cheaper alternative to cable. However with repeated price hikes, those days are long gone. If you thought last year’s price hikes were bad, brace yourself—2025 is already off to a costly start. Some of the biggest streaming services have increased their prices already, making it harder to justify multiple subscriptions.
Let’s take a look at four platforms that have already raised their prices this year and what it means for subscribers.
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Netflix – Price Hike From January 28, 2025
Netflix wasted no time increasing its prices this year. Starting January 28, the platform raised costs across all plans:
- Ad-based plan: Now $8/month (up from $7)
- Standard plan: Now $18/month (up from $15.50)
- Premium plan: Now $25/month (up from $23)
In case you’re wondering, this marks the 4th consecutive year Netflix has raised its prices, a level of consistency it never showed before. In 2023, Netflix phased out the basic plan in favor of a cheaper ad-supported option. Now, even that plan is getting more expensive—while still including ads. It seems Netflix is betting that its growing catalog and live events will keep subscribers on board despite the hikes.
YouTube TV – Price Hike From January 13, 2025
YouTube TV was never cheap, and it just got even pricier. On January 13, 2025, the cost jumped from $73 to $83 per month. That’s a $10 increase, making it one of the most expensive live TV streaming services.
While YouTube TV offers live sports, news, and unlimited DVR storage, the rising costs make traditional cable look like a reasonable alternative. If you’re sticking with it, make sure you’re taking advantage of all the features to get the most out of your subscription.
However, some users on Reddit found a workaround. Just try to cancel your subscription and select cost as a reason for cancellation. YouTube may continue the subscription for you at $73 for 6 more months, saving you around $60 with this offer. But that’s a catch, it’s not guaranteed to work.
Amazon Music Unlimited – Price Hike from March 5, 2025
Amazon Music Unlimited just got more expensive for both Prime and non-Prime members. Amazon increased the price of its Individual and Family plans on March 5, 2025. This marks the first price hike since 2023.
- Prime members: Now $11/month (up from $10) or $109/year (up from $99)
- Non-Prime members: Now $12/month (up from $11)
- Family plan: Now $20/month (up from $17) or $199/year (up from $169)
Existing subscribers will see the new rates on their next billing cycle after March 5. Amazon Music Unlimited includes songs, podcasts, and even audiobooks from Audible. However, unlike Amazon Music Prime (which is included with a Prime membership), this subscription allows users to skip tracks freely and download music for offline listening.
With this price hike, Amazon’s Individual plan without a Prime discount now costs as much as Spotify’s, while Apple Music’s Individual plan is still slightly cheaper at $11 per month.
Fubo – Price Hike From February 10, 2025
Fubo has raised its English-language streaming plan prices by $5 each, citing “rising costs from our programming partners,” according to a Fubo spokesperson. The price increase took effect in two phases. For new subscribers, Prices went up on January 23, 2025, whereas existing subscribers will see the change on the February 10, 2025.
The updated pricing is as follows:
- Essential & Pro plans: Now $85/month (up from $80)
- Elite plan: Now $95/month (up from $90)
Fubo debuted its Essential plan at $80 per month in December 2024, which, while priced the same as the Pro plan, doesn’t include regional sports networks or the additional $16 monthly fee that comes with them.
With this rate hike, Fubo is once again more expensive than YouTube TV, which increased its price by $10 in January 2025. It’s also pricier than Disney’s Hulu + Live TV, which Fubo is planning to merge with. Subscribers now have to weigh whether the service is worth the higher cost or if switching to a competitor makes more sense.
And It’s Not Just 2025—Late 2024 Saw Price Hikes Too
If these price hikes weren’t enough, several major streaming platforms increased their prices in late 2024, including:
- Max – Prices went up by $1-$20, depending on the plan.
- Disney+ & Hulu – Both increased by $2 per month.
- Sling TV – Raised prices for the first time in almost two years.
- Discovery+ – Increased by $1 per month.
Streaming isn’t as cheap as it used to be. If you’re feeling the squeeze, now might be the time to rethink your subscriptions. Whether that means canceling a service or switching to ad-supported plans, or going back to cable.
