Here’s a surprise you didn’t see coming, Paramount Plus is going to get more expensive in 2026. This week, Paramount Plus announced that both of its plans would see a $1 per month increase starting in January 2026 . This was announced during Paramount Skydance Q3 earnings call on November 10, which also outlined its new strategy for its streaming business.
The company had already announced price increases for Australia and Canada, and now we have one for the US. Paramount Skydance did not announce how much the price would increase, but The Hollywood Reporter has reported that it’ll be $1 each on January 17. That would take the Essentials plan to $8.99 per month, and the Premium plan to $13.99 per month.
This also represents a pretty massive change to the Annual plan, specifically on the Essential plan. Currently, it’s $59.99 per year, but it’ll go up to $89.99 per year starting in January. That’s nearly a 50% increase. The annual plan will jump from $119.99 to $139.99 per year.
| Paramount Plus Essential | Paramount Plus Premium |
|---|---|
| $8.99/month | $13.99/month |
| $89.99/yr | $139.99/yr |
Paramount’s Direct to Consumer business is its biggest priority next year
The company also flat out said that its Direct to Consumer (DTC) business, which does include Paramount and Showtime, is its biggest priority in the coming year. So with this price hike, we could see some more positive changes coming to the service.
There is also going to be a lot more Paramount Plus Originals, according to the company. And this is the main reason why the price is going up. The company is planning to use the additional money from the monthly price increase, to fund these new Originals.
Of course, another reason for the price increase is likely its new deal for UFC. Paramount Skydance just landed the UFC for $7.7 billion . This deal starts in 2026 and is under contract for 7 years.
