Anyone who pays the bills knows that streaming streaming prices have gone up every year. According to Variety, the cost of these services increased overall by 23% through the month of October.
When they launched in 2007, with Netflix as the pioneer, streaming services were shaping up as affordable alternatives to cable or satellite TV. In 2023, however, every major streaming platform raised its prices. Here are the most recent changes:
Apple TV+: from $6.99 to $9.99, ad-free
Hulu: from $14.99 to $17.99, ad-free
Disney+: $10.99 to $13.99, ad-free
Netflix: basic plan, from $9.99 to $11.99, ad-free. It also eliminated this plan for new subscribers, who will only be able to subscribe to the standard plan, at $15.49
Amazon Prime Video: In 2024, it will begin showing ads on its $8.99 plan, and will introduce an ad-free plan at $11.98 per month
Max: from $9.99 to $15.99, ad-free
Peacock: from $4.99 to $5.99, with ads; premium, from $9.99 to $11.99, ad-free.
What does it all add up to?
We calculated the average cost of subscribing to these platforms: Netflix, Hulu, Disney, Max, Amazon Video, Peacock and Apple TV+. We compared two scenarios: someone who, at minimum, does not want to see ads, and someone who is simply looking for the lowest cost.
Ad-free: For those who want no ads and nearly all the benefits of these platforms, the cost is $94.93 per month, before discounts. Annually, that comes to $1,139.16 for a single household, not counting taxes. This will be more appealing to large families with accounts on many devices.
With ads / lowest cost: If ads don't bother you and you don't mind limited access across multiple devices, the monthly cost for all 7 platforms comes to $57.93 per month, or $695.16 annually, before taxes and additional discounts.
Tips for saving on streaming
There are a few tricks you can use to have almost everything at once. Jorge, a graphic designer who pays for 5 subscriptions, shared some tips for saving on streaming. Below are some of the tips he shared with Platea.
1. Take advantage of discount codes and deals
Platforms often release special codes for certain groups and occasions. If you are a college student, you can pay just $1.99 per month for Hulu. Other platforms with similar offers include Apple TV+, at $3.49 per month; Amazon Prime, with Amazon Video, at $7.49 per month; and Peacock, at $1.99.
Some deals last for a limited time; otherwise, you have to submit annual proof that you are still a student.
Some services also offer ad-supported plans at reduced prices for Black Friday. This year, you can subscribe to Max for $2.99, for 6 months, and Hulu for $0.99, for 1 year. Keep an eye on price increases once the deals expire.
2. Bundle services to lower costs
If you have many services, get ready: you can bundle them and save. Instead of paying $15.00 for Disney and Hulu separately, you can pay for both together, with ads, for $9.99. You can also combine other types of services. If you need Amazon Prime, the Amazon Video subscription is included: you would only pay $14.99 per month.
If you have an iPhone and subscribe to Apple Music, you can add Apple TV+ and pay $19.95 for music, streaming and storage. Hulu also has a student offer where you pay $5.99 per month, bundled with Spotify Premium, which without this offer costs $10.99.
3. Pay only for what you watch: by season or annually
If there are no deals available, you can subscribe only when new seasons of your favorite shows come out. Jorge canceled two of his subscriptions because he was no longer watching the content on them: "We canceled them for the same reason as Disney, we were paying and not watching," and although he is eager to watch the new season of Only Murders in the Building, he has not considered subscribing to Hulu given his other financial priorities.
For services whose content he will always watch, however, Jorge pays for annual subscriptions, which offer a discount. Some are detailed below:
The final calculation: how much can you save?
We ran some final calculations with these deals to give you an estimate of the least you could spend per month, as follows:
If you are a college student, you can pay $31.93 for 7 streaming services for 6 months, and then $38.93. After the year, you can bundle your Hulu and Disney subscriptions and would still pay $39.93, for a total savings of $18 per month.
If you are not a student, you can pay $42.93 for the first 6 months, $49.93 through the first year, and after that, $50.93, for a savings of $7 per month.
The best way to save is to combine these strategies and be selective about the content you consume. While sharing account passwords also saved hundreds a year, that trend may soon be over.
In the summer, Netflix began charging $8 to those who share their passwords excessively, and in September, Disney+ subscribers received warnings about restrictions on password sharing.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
