Netflix Confirms Price Hike After Losing Warner Bros

by

Many streaming services are becoming more expensive. Following Amazon’s decision to change its Prime Video offering and add a new, pricier plan, is also increasing its costs.

The streaming service is raising its prices again in the U.S. for all three of its plans. This is the second price increase this year, following one announced in January.

Here’s how prices are changing: the Standard With Ads plan will now cost $8.99 per month, an increase of $1. The Standard plan, which offers ad-free viewing on up to two devices, is going up by $2 to $19.99 per month. Finally, the Premium plan – ad-free streaming on up to four devices in Ultra HD and HDR – will cost $26.99 per month, a $2 increase.

This news follows Netflix losing Warner Bros. as a partner just a month ago. The two companies had reached a groundbreaking agreement in December 2025, but Paramount opposed it and worked for months to get others to support their alternative plan. Netflix had intended to invest $82.7 million in Warner Bros. and its streaming service, HBO Max.

Ultimately, Paramount made a new offer and paid Netflix a $5.8 billion fee to end their deal. Despite losing Warner Bros. as a partner, Netflix actually ended up with more financial resources and believes it now has an advantage in setting prices compared to other streaming services.

Netflix increased its prices by $1 in January, which was the first price hike for the Standard plan in three years. Now, they’re raising prices again.

Amazon recently made changes to its streaming plan options. While it removed a popular ad-free tier, the company framed it as an upgrade and increased the price by $2. The old add-on cost $2.99, but the new version will be $4.99 and includes improvements like 4K Ultra HD picture quality, the ability to stream on more devices at once, and better offline downloads.

That same month, Disney tried a new strategy. While they often raise prices, this time they’re preparing for their merger with Hulu by offering a combined streaming package. This new deal provides a substantial 62% discount, bringing the cost of both Disney+ and Hulu down to just $4.99 for the first three months – a significant drop from the usual $12.99 price.

HBO Max is evolving, and a significant part of that process is a global rollout of changes. These changes began in the U.S. in 2025 and are now expanding to other countries.

Streaming began with Netflix, which was initially the only major player. For years, they allowed customers to share accounts with anyone, anywhere – essentially using it as a way to attract new viewers. However, in 2023, Netflix ended this practice, requiring users to pick a primary location for access. Disney+ then implemented a similar change in 2025.

Read More

2026-03-26 22:38