Warner Bros. Discovery hiked the price this week for its Discovery Plus ad-free monthly subscription in the U.S. to $8.99, from $6.99, but kept its monthly "ad-light" subscription fee unchanged at $4.99.
In Canada, a new Discovery Plus ad-free monthly subscription also rose to $8.99 CAD, from $6.99 CAD, and the new ad-lite rate increased to $5.99 CAD, from $4.99 CAD.
According to an October 3 Wall Street Journal report, Netflix could be next. The company plans to raise prices on its ad-free service in the U.S. and Canada a few months after the actors strike ends, and it is looking at several other markets worldwide, according to the report, which cites sources familiar with the situation.
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Netflix did not respond to Kiplinger's requests for comment.
These streaming services join several others that recently announced price hikes, especially for ad-free service. These include Amazon, which last month announced plans to add commercials to its Prime Video streaming service in early 2024, unless members opt for an ad-free version for $2.99 per month.
Starting October 12, the Walt Disney Company will boost prices for its monthly ad-free Disney Plus plan to $13.99, from $10.99. The cost of its monthly ad-free Hulu plan will hit $17.99, from $14.99. Both versions of these services with ads will remain unchanged at $7.99 per month.
First increase since 2021
At Warner Bros., the monthly Discovery Plus increase became effective on October 3. The company said in a statement that this is the first increase for the service in the U.S. and Canada since it was launched in January 2021.
"This will allow us to continue to provide can’t-miss stories in the food, home, relationships, true crime, paranormal genres - plus so much more,” Warner Bros. said.
With some of the biggest streaming platforms raising rates, you may want to check out other options. For tips on how to save money while making sure you get to watch some of the must-see releases, check out our round-up of how to save on streaming services and find streaming deals.
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