Apple TV is the latest streamer to raise rates, announcing this morning that the monthly subscription price for the service will increase in the U.S. for new and existing subscribers as of August 28.
The new monthly price is now $14.99 (from $12.99) and the annual price is up to $119 from $99.
The Apple One Individual tier also increases from $19.95 to $21.95, directly incorporating the $2 increase. However, although the Apple TV annual plan went up $20 to $119, it continues to break Apple’s usual rule of annual prices being 10 times the monthly fee—a pattern that started last year (see “Apple TV+ Monthly Price Increases to $12.99,” 22 August 2025).
These hikes mean Apple TV’s price has increased 50% in just two years, and 200% since its 2019 launch. To an extent, that makes sense—Apple is spending a lot on original content that is being well-received. But it also matches the trend of increasing prices across the streaming industry: Paramount+ went up across its plans in January (Essential up $1 to $9, and Premium up $1 to $14); Netflix raised prices in March (Standard up $2 to $19.99, Premium up $2 to $26.99); Peacock bumped prices in August (Peacock Select up $1 to $8.99, Premium up $2 to $12.99, and Premium Plus up $3 to $19.99), and Disney will raise the legacy bundle of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select by $3 to $27.99 later this month.
As the prices increase, expect more people to subscribe to watch a specific show or two and then cancel. I’m coming up on another cycle of subscribing to Apple TV to catch up on the shows we enjoy there. But I doubt it will last more than a month or two—and perhaps Apple will give me some free months when I buy my next iPhone.
I think they can do better. Here’s hoping for $25/month by next year.
You’ll only appreciate just how premium it is, once paying that bill really hurts. But we think you’re gonna love it.
I’ve seen reports that piracy has gone up to the levels before Netflix. When Netflix came along, piracy went down, you could pay reasonable price and get unlimited movies and TV shows. Once all the other streaming services started, it took a lot of them to get all your shows again. So piracy is up with all the price increases and too many streaming platforms,
For those who are willing to subscribe annually, the price went form $99 to $119. Still a large increase but much better than the $180/yr the month to month subscription costs. My guess is that Apple is trying to encourage steady use, rather than on and off.
My annual renewal was Sept 5, just after they announced the price increase, but I was pleased that they renewed me for the old price of $99. Subscription now shows that it will be $119 in Sept 2027. Very nice of them to do that.
My sense is that all the streaming services are treating the monthly subs as being used largely by people who drop in and out of the service. So Apple (et al) are trying to maximize revenue there. The annual services are for people who don’t do that (obviously) so they are cheaper.
That’s also the reason why, with the notable exception of Netflix, streaming shows that are series don’t have all their episodes available at once. Watching Apple TV shows such as Bad Sisters, Severance, or Slow Horses when a new season premieres means subscribing for a minimum of a couple of months.
