- Paramount+ has announced plans to increase prices in the US in January 2026
- The price increase will help offset $1.5 billion in new content for the service.
- In some markets, the free trial offer may be suspended and offers may be reduced.
It’s only been 100 days since the Paramount and Skydance merger was completed, and we’re already hearing major plans to change Paramount+ content and pricing (for better or worse).
During the entertainment company’s third-quarter earnings call on Nov. 10, Paramount (now officially Paramount Skydance) outlined a new strategy for its streaming business that notably included a price increase for its ad-free and ad-supported tiers in the U.S. This is in addition to price increases already announced separately in Australia and Canada.
While executives did not specify how much it will increase prices, The Hollywood Reporter has since indicated that US users can expect monthly plans to increase by $1 each on January 17, 2026. Annual tiers will also increase on the same day, but users can expect to pay 50% more for the ‘Essential’ plan and 17% more for the ‘Premium’.
| Header cell: column 0 |
From November 11, 2025 |
From January 15, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
|
Essential |
$7.99 per month / $59.99 per year |
$8.99 per month / $89.99 per year |
|
Premium |
$12.99 per month / $119.19 per year |
$13.99 per month / $139.99 per year |
Paramount has said that its Direct to Consumer (DTC) business, which includes Paramount+, is its top priority for next year, so while the price increase may seem like a bad sign of things to come, there are also other, more positive updates on the way for subscribers.
The next major change users can expect is more Paramount+ Originals. This is directly due to its planned price increases, as the company said it will reinvest what it hopes will be another increase in revenue due to rising costs (the streamer added 1.4 million new subscribers between July and September to give you an idea of how much that could be) into new content.
Paramount isn’t just referring to hit movies or TV shows, like the recently renewed Dexter: resurrection or upcoming final seasons of yellow jackets and the chiany. It’s also talking about its $7.7 billion deal to be the exclusive home of UFC’s live sporting events in the US, as well as an increase in third-party licensing to boost its catalog.
As one of the best classic content streaming services, Paramount+ is already known for updating its library every month with new movies and shows, particularly in the US, where it regularly adds more than 100 new licensed movies every 30 days. It added 143 new movies in November alone, just to give you an idea of how big its catalog updates could become.
That could be boosted even further by Paramount’s plans to have at least 15 theatrical releases annually starting in 2026. It already has several highly anticipated films coming out next year, including Scream 7, Scary Movie 6, Paw Patrol: The Dinosaur Movie, The Last Airbender: The Last Airbenderand street fighter, so the public will likely expect a great slate to be announced in the second half of next year.
In fact, a more established release schedule for new content was something Paramount CEO David Ellison said is part of the plan for 2026. “This includes establishing an Originals release schedule with marquee releases spread throughout the year, moving away from the historic concentration around the sports season and year-end surge, which has previously led to uneven engagement,” he said during the earnings call.
Why Black Friday will be the time to get a Paramount+ subscription
As part of Paramount’s new business approach to maximizing its investment in new content, the company has also said it is taking other cost initiatives to shore up the additional funding needed for those big box office hits.
In addition to the price increase, Paramount+ subscribers should expect to see fewer of the best streaming offerings, including the service, as part of their plans to reduce discounts. That initiative extends to bundled offers, free trials and what it called “low-margin subscriptions,” which essentially refers to its cheapest ad-supported tier.
That means many of the cost-effective ways to get a subscription, including the Paramount+ free trial, could soon disappear. But before you rush out to get a cheaper subscription ahead of the impending price hike and deal drought, Paramount hasn’t specified where or when these discounts will drop, so there’s still time to find some savings.
The best deal available, at the time of writing, isn’t exactly a limited-time deal, but rather the regular monthly savings by signing up for one of their annual plans right away, which is about 23% off the usual monthly rate. It may not seem like a major discount, but with a price increase on the way, it could make a big difference.
To put this in context, the price of Paramount+ increased twice before its latest announcement, with the ad-free rate rising from $9.99 per month when it launched in 2021 to $12.99 per month at the time of writing, marking a 30% increase over that time. With that figure rising to 40% by 2026, it would make it the third cheapest ad-free major streamer in the US.
Of course, there’s always Pluto TV to turn to, which is one of the best free streaming services. You won’t get new releases or as much content as its paid streamer, but it’s worth checking out, especially now that Paramount improves the service. During its latest earnings call, it said it’s also exploring the use of AI in personalization and recommendations, so it could be about to see a major update.
If a free, stripped-down version of Paramount+ isn’t enough, my final tip is to keep an eye out for Black Friday deals that start to appear. Last year, the service launched a limited-time sale that reduced the price of a subscription to its ‘Premium’ tier to just $2.99 per month.
If a similar Paramount+ Black Friday deal is announced in the coming weeks, I wouldn’t wait to take advantage of it, as it may be one of the last opportunities to get the service at a much cheaper price. In the meantime, be sure to check back with us at TechRadar to see if any deals are announced.
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