The start of a new year of streaming brims with anticipation for all the great things you'll watch. You could get hooked on an underrated show, binge the return of a favorite or stream a new Oscar Best Picture winner from your couch. Envisioning upcoming entertainment is better when you don't factor in how the price to watch it could change -- and already is.
2026 has already brought increases to services you might use to stream shows, movies, music and live TV, such as Paramount Plus, Spotify and Sling. Streamflation or not, you probably aren't going to take a total break from streaming this year, so we're tracking every price rise from 2025 onward. If you hit your spending limit, you can cancel, rotate services or scout for discounts.
2026 Streaming Price Hikes
Crunchyroll (February 2026)
The anime streaming service Crunchyroll announced a price hike on Feb. 2, including an increase to its entry-level Fan subscription for the first time since 2019. Crunchyroll shut down its free, ad-supported tier about a month earlier.
With the increase, which is in effect for new customers and starts March 4 for existing customers, Crunchyroll's ad-free plans now cost $10 per month for Fan, $14 for Mega Fan and $18 for Ultimate Fan -- a $2 increase across plans.
Amazon Music (February 2026)
Amazon Music Unlimited Individual plans recently rose to $13 per month (or $12 per month for Prime members -- both $1 bumps). Family plans increased by $2 to $22 per month. Prices went into effect Feb. 3 for new customers, and current subscribers will pay more on or after March 5. Amazon Music Unlimited also adjusted prices in 2025.
Paramount Plus (January 2026)
If you missed Paramount Plus' mid-January price increase, it might be because the details emerged two months earlier, in November 2025. When the hike did arrive, it brought ad-supported Essential from $8 per month or $60 per year to $9 per month or $90 per year. Paramount Plus' ad-free version, Premium, rose from $13 per month to $14 and $120 per year to $140.
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