As if sports fans haven’t seen enough of price increases on services to watch their favorite leagues, now another streaming service has announced they are raising their rates likely from a sports acquisition.
Paramount announced Monday in a letter to its investors that they plan to increase the price to subscribe to its streaming service, Paramount+ at the start of 2026. Variety reports that the rate hike will be $1 per month for both the Essential (ad-supported) and Premium (ad-free) tiers. Currently, subscribers pay $7.99 per month for the Essential tier and $12.99 for Premium. Annual subscribers will get hit harder, as Essential subscribers will see their rate jump by $30 from $59.99 to $89.99, while Premium subscriber will see a $20 rate hike from $119.99 to $139.99.
“These changes will fuel continued reinvestment in the user experience and deliver an even stronger slate of programming for our customers in the year ahead and beyond,” Paramount told its investors.
Rate Hike Set To Begin In January
Coincides with the streaming service’s acquisition of the UFC media rights
The streaming service’s new rates are set to take effect in January, which is also when Paramount’s new 11-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal with the UFC is starting.
“We’re especially excited about our plans for the UFC, whose schedule of monthly marquee events will enable us to deliver a year-round lineup of live sports, driving stronger subscriber engagement and retention following CBS Sports’ major events,” Paramount’s letter says. The network also touts the fact that for the first time in the sport’s existence, all cards will be able to be viewed without having to shell out pay-per-view costs. UFC’s major cards currently cost $79.95 in addition to the cost of an ESPN subscription.
“By removing the secondary pay-per-view paywall – historically a key barrier for UFC fans – we’re making these premium events available to every Paramount+ subscriber at no additional cost,” Paramount’s letter continued. “We’re confident that greater accessibility will lead to significant incremental subscriber growth and greater engagement across our platform, creating long-term value for both us and the UFC.”
