Disney hikes Disney+ prices as 'streamflation' spreads — SkimNews
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- Disney raised prices on most Disney+ and Hulu bundles by about $2 per month, and its terms of service reserve the right to insert ads before and after programming regardless of subscription tier.
- Apple TV+ has raised prices four times in four years despite a smaller catalog than competitors, while Peacock subscribers have seen bills increase $5–6 per month since summer 2025, with another hike last month.
- Netflix has 325 million subscribers worldwide after raising prices most recently in March 2026; an estimated 39% of Americans canceled a streaming service in the past six months due to "streamflation."
- The annual price of Disney+ has climbed from $70 at launch to $190 — a 170% increase — and Amazon Prime now charges subscribers an extra $50 per year for ad-free 4K while standard tiers carry more ads and lower picture quality.
- Subscribing to the six major streaming services plus broadband costs roughly $120 per month — comparable to legacy cable — while free ad-supported services like Tubi turn a profit by leaning on ads and catalog depth.
Why it matters: Streaming households now spend roughly $120 per month for the major services plus broadband — essentially the cable bills cord-cutters fled from a decade ago. With subscriber growth exhausted, the roughly 39% of Americans who recently canceled a service shows the industry's only path to Wall Street's demanded growth is squeezing existing users with simultaneous price hikes, ad insertions, and quality downgrades.
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