Streamflation is definitely a thing. Apple TV’s pricing has skyrocketed in just seven years, now costing three times what it did at launch.
When Apple introduced Apple TV in 2019, it was a reasonable $4.99 per month. Fast forward to 2026, and subscribers are now looking at a monthly fee of $14.99—$119 if you prefer to pay annually.
This price hike follows a prior increase, where Apple raised its streaming fee from $9.99 to $12.99 just a year ago. It’s not just Apple, either; many major streaming services are climbing on the price-increase bandwagon, leaving consumers with few budget-friendly choices. Just recently, Netflix also announced significant price hikes across all its tiers!
Its ad-supported option jumped from $7.99 to $8.99, while the standard subscription is now $19.99, up from $17.99. The premium tier, meanwhile, went from $24.99 to $26.99. Oh, and they also discontinued the cheapest ad-free option—what a move, right?
Peacock is another platform making waves; they recently announced their price hikes as well, with Premium users now paying $12.99, up from $10.99, and the Premium Plus option increasing to $19.99 from $16.99. New and returning subscribers saw this change come into effect on August 18, while existing subscribers will face the increased rates on their next billing date after September 17.
Earlier this year, Paramount+ also raised its prices by a dollar, bringing the Essential plan to $8.99 and the Premium plan to $13.99.
Similarly, Amazon’s Prime Video upset users by increasing the cost of its ad-free option from $2.99 to $4.99 per month, although the main Prime membership still sits at $14.99.
Disney+ has also been quietly adjusting its pricing, with its legacy streaming bundle now going up from $24.99 to $27.99. Users should prepare to see this change starting on September 17. Interestingly, new legacy packages are no longer being offered; they’re only available for those who signed up before August 20 and maintained their subscriptions. This bundle includes Disney+ (Ad-free), Hulu (With ads), and ESPN Select (With ads).
Back in October, HBO Max—a Warner Bros. Discovery property—increased its Premium plan by $2, coming to $22.99 a month now.
Naturally, social media has exploded with user frustration regarding these price hikes. One user on X called the platforms a scam, questioning why such sneaky increases weren’t communicated in advance.
“How much are you really going to pay just to binge-watch shows?” they posted. Another user vented, pointing out that the price tag for Apple TV feels unjustified due to the content offered, saying, “Not enough to justify $15 a month.”
A third user remarked on how streaming services were once marketed as the cheaper alternative to cable, only to morph into a landscape of continuous price increases. They suggested the industry had been throwing money at attracting subscribers, and now that those subscribers are locked in, it’s a different story—prices go up every year. “And nobody’s cancelling because the shows are all scattered across different apps,” they pointed out.
