If it seems like every time you turn around, your streaming bills are going up, that’s because, well, they are.
Over the last five years, prices for popular streaming services have skyrocketed by as much as 67% in some cases.
Consider:
- HBO Max in 2020: $14.99/month no ads
- HBO Max in 2025: $9.99/month with ads; $16.99/month no ads; $20.99/month, no ads and 4K quality
- Netflix in 2020: $8.99 month; $13.99/month HD for 2 screens; $17.99/month 4K, 4 screens
- Netflix in 2025:$7.99/month with ads; $17.99 month no ads, 2 screens; $24.99/month no ads 4K, 4 screens
- Hulu in 2020: $5.99/month with ads; $9.99/month no ads
- Hulu in 2025: $9.99/month with ads; $18.99/month no ads
- Disney+ in 2020: $6.99/month with ads; $9.99/month no ads
- Disney+ in 2025: $12.99/month no ads; $15.99/month with ads
- Apple TV+ in 2020: $4.99/month no ads
- Apple TV+ in 2025: $12.99/month no ads
Bottom line: Streaming was so simple in 2020.
Apple raised prices on Apple TV+ without warning
When Apple (AAPL) raised its prices last week, plenty of subscribers protested on social media, and many apparently canceled.
And then something unusual happened: Apple seemingly backed off, at least for some subscribers.
On the Reddit subreddit r/tvPlus, redditors shared that when they attempted to cancel their subscription in protest of the price hike, they received a message from Apple offering a discount if they…canceled their cancellation.
Several tech outlets including 9-5 Mac and Tom's Guide confirmed, sharing screenshots showing that Apple was offering a 54% discount for two months. So, for people who decided to stay, the price would drop to $5.99 but then go back up to $12.99.
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The offer doesn’t appear to be valid for new subscribers. And it doesn’t apply to people who have Apple services bundles that include TV, News, Arcade, storage, etc.
Apple has not released a statement about the temporary discount.
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Many Apple-focused blogs and outlets are advising that people who want to avoid the $12.99 subscription reboot must cancel before the second $5.99 change.
In other words, if you cancel today, the $12.99 fee will resume in November.
As @zestyclose-let7929 wrote, “They plan on you forgetting and will not cancel before the month 3 increase.”
The cost of streaming vs. cable
Apple is one of the few streamers that doesn’t have an “ad supported” option, which is how they justify the price of the service.
“Subscribers can explore a rich offering of thrilling dramas, epic sci-fi, feel-good comedies and live sports,” a company spokesperson told Variety earlier this month. “Since its launch, Apple TV+ has expanded its deep library of hundreds of Apple Originals, with thousands of hours of premium programming across genres and brand-new releases weekly — all ad-free.”
In the early days of streaming, one of the major appeals of subscribing to streaming services instead of cable was the cost savings.
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But nearly constant price hikes for streaming, as noted above, have made streaming nearly as expensive, especially if you subscribe to more than a handful of services.
And let's be real, who out there subscribes to just one or two services? The average household has four, according to The Motley Fool.
“Slow Horses,” “Ted Lasso,” and “Severance” are all fabulously entertaining, but there are probably plenty of people who’d be willing to trade a few ads for a lower monthly price.
At some point the cost of all the subscriptions becomes a touch too much.
Or, as @Carvus-Moon said on YouTube, maybe it's “Time to just use Pluto and Tubi, and maybe one paid streaming service.”
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