First came Max, then Peacock and now Paramount Plus has implemented a summer 2024 price hike.
New subscribers must pay more to watch Paramount Plus with or without ads, as of Aug. 20. Ad-supported Paramount Plus Essential now runs $8 per month, up from $6, and ad-free Paramount Plus with Showtime costs $13 per month, up from $12.
Existing Paramount Plus with Showtime monthly subscribers will pay more from their next billing date on or after Sept. 20. However, current Essential monthly subs (from before Aug. 20) won't notice a change to their $6 price, according to Paramount Plus. The streamer is not increasing the annual price of Essential and Paramount Plus with Showtime for new or existing subscribers. Those currently on the legacy Limited Commercial plan will see the price rise by $1 to $8 per month.
Paramount Plus prices
| Essential | with Showtime | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (new subscribers) | $8* | $13* |
| Monthly price (existing subscribers) | $6^ | $13** |
| Annual price (new and existing subscribers) | $60^ | $120^ |
| * as of Aug. 20 | ||
| ** as of next billing date on or after Sept. 20 | ||
| ^ no change |
Paramount Plus last raised prices a little over a year ago, around when it merged with Showtime. The streaming service's Essential offering includes ads and its tier with Showtime programming limits commercials to appearing on "live TV and a few shows." Paramount Plus with Showtime also provides downloads and your local live CBS station.
With the price increase, Paramount Plus' monthly ad-supported plan costs the same as Peacock's after its hike in July. Whereas they both used to be the cheapest ad-supported plans in the major streaming service bunch, now they're the same price as Disney Plus and Hulu's entry-level plans, while Netflix with ads costs a dollar less at $7.
Read more: Best Streaming Service of 2024