According to 9to5Mac, Paramount+ is raising prices for every single one of its streaming plans starting January 15, 2026. The Essential ad-supported plan is jumping to $89.99 per year while the Premium ad-free tier will cost $139.99 annually. This announcement came during Paramount’s recent quarterly earnings call where the company revealed the across-the-board increases. The timing coincides with Paramount+’s addition of UFC content early next year, following the company’s massive $7.7 billion investment to become the sport’s new streaming home. For monthly subscribers, both plans are getting $1 increases, making this the latest in a string of streaming service price hikes.
The streaming inflation reality
Here’s the thing – we’re way past the “streaming is cheaper than cable” era. Paramount+ is just the latest domino to fall in what’s becoming an annual tradition of streaming price increases. And honestly, who’s surprised? Every major player from Netflix to Disney+ has been steadily hiking prices while cracking down on password sharing. But this particular increase feels different because of the UFC factor.
Paramount dropped a staggering $7.7 billion to secure UFC rights, and that money has to come from somewhere. For hardcore fight fans, an extra dollar a month might seem like a no-brainer. But what about the rest of us who just want to watch Star Trek or Yellowstone? Are we subsidizing sports content we don’t even watch?
The sports streaming trap
This is becoming a familiar pattern in streaming – services loading up on expensive sports rights then passing the cost to all subscribers. Basically, everyone pays for content that only a fraction actually wants. And let’s be real, once prices go up in streaming, they never come back down. Ever.
I’m starting to wonder if we’re heading toward a future where you’ll need half a dozen streaming services just to watch what used to be on basic cable. The math is getting ugly fast. Pay for Paramount+ for UFC, ESPN+ for other sports, Netflix for originals, Max for HBO content… suddenly you’re back to cable bundle pricing but with worse user experience.
Is there a consumer breaking point?
The big question nobody seems to be asking: when do subscribers finally say enough? We’ve seen Netflix lose subscribers after price hikes, only to regain them later. But with every streamer jumping on the increase bandwagon, the collective burden keeps growing. And let’s not forget Paramount+ isn’t exactly the market leader here – they’re playing catch-up while charging premium prices.
Maybe the UFC content will be enough to justify the increases for some. But for casual viewers, this feels like yet another reason to reconsider which services are actually worth keeping year-round. The streaming golden age is looking increasingly expensive, and I’m not convinced the value is keeping pace with the price tags.
