About this episode
On this week's show we look at the streamers and their pricing history. Are they keeping up with inflation or are they seeing how far they can keep raising prices. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Apple TV Revs Up to Compete, For Real, In Streaming 86 Years Ago NBC Made History with First Televised Pro Football Game in 1939 HBO Max raises prices on all plans while WBD reevaluates future Other: Roomie Remote Streaming Price Hikes: A Historical Look Netflix Netflix has raised prices multiple times since launching its streaming service in 2007, with increases tied to content investments and competition. The service now offers four tiers: ad-supported Standard with Ads, Basic (ad-free, one screen), Standard (ad-free, two screens), and Premium (ad-free, four screens, 4K). Below is a summary of U.S. monthly prices for the most popular tiers (Standard and Premium) over time. Year Date Standard Plan Premium Plan Notes 2010 Launch (streaming-only) $7.99 N/A Basic streaming plan introduced. 2011 Feb $7.99 N/A No change. 2014 May $8.99 N/A First major streaming hike. 2015 N/A $9.99 $11.99 Introduction of HD tier. 2017 Oct $10.99 $13.99 Subtle rollout. 2019 Jan $12.99 $15.99 Basic introduced at $8.99 (discontinued 2023). 2020 Oct $13.99 $17.99 Response to content costs. 2022 Jan $15.49 $19.99 Largest hike at the time. 2023 Oct N/A N/A Ads tier launched at $6.99. 2024 Jan $15.49 $22.99 Basic discontinued. 2025 Jan $18.00 $25.00 All plans increased; ads tier to $8.00. Prices are monthly in USD; annual options offer ~17% savings. Current as of October 2025. Note - $8 in 2010 is worth approximately $11.57 in October 2025 Disney+ Launched in 2019 at a competitive $6.99/month, Disney+ has seen nearly annual increases, often bundled with Hulu/ESPN+. It now has two main tiers: ad-supported Basic and ad-free Premium. Prices reflect U.S. monthly rates for standalone Premium (most common). Year Date Basic (Ads) Premium (Ad-Free) Notes 2019 Nov (Launch) N/A $6.99 Singl
