GoKawiilThe arrival 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.
The year 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
Prime Video (starting April 2026)
The default version of Prime Video you get with a Prime membership includes ads, and the price to remove them will increase from $3 to $5 per month on April 10. Amazon will rebrand its existing ad-free offering to Prime Video Ultra. The move comes with other changes, such as making 4K UHD streaming exclusive to those paying the extra fee.
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 started on 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.
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