Cost of Streaming Services in 2022 (And How It's Changed Over the Years)

1. Cost of Streaming Services (As of 2/10/2022)
2. Cost of Apple TV+ Streaming Service Over the Years
3. Cost of Disney+ Streaming Service Over the Years
4. Cost of Amazon Prime Video Over the Years
5. Cost of Netflix Over the Years
6. Cost of Hulu Over the Years
7. Frequently Asked Questions

If you're one of the 200+ million Netflix subscribers, you've likely received a notification or email about the increase in price. The question is, is this going to set off a domino effect for the other streaming services to follow suit? The cost of streaming services is already higher than it used to be because of all of the different ones we subscribe to (gone are the days where you only have one service), so how much should we expect to pay now? 

We take a look at the current cost of popular streaming services and how the price has changed over the years, so you can compare what you were spending to what you're paying now. 

Cost of Streaming Services (As of 2/10/2022)

* No annual payment option. The amount is calculated by multiplying the monthly cost by 12. 

Cost of Apple TV+ Streaming Service Over the Years

Apple TV+ is relatively new in the streaming world, launching in November 2019. Since launch, the pricing hasn't changed, staying at $4.99/month with a free 7-day trial for new customers. 

Apple also continues its offer for a free year of Apple TV+ when you buy a new:

• iPhone
• iPad
• iPod touch
• Mac
• Apple TV

Cost of Disney+ Streaming Service Over the Years

Disney+ launched just over a week after Apple launched its streaming service in November 2019. Since launch, the cost of Disney+ has increased by $1/month. 

How Disney+ Pricing Has Changed

Cost of Amazon Prime Video Over the Years

Prime Video is still priced at $8.99/month—Amazon has not increased the price, although the cost of an Amazon Prime subscription has increased.

Amazon Prime Video has had a longer history than other streaming services, first launching as Amazon Unbox back in 2006, allowing users to download movies and TV shows. It was rebranded as Amazon Instant Video in 2011 and made available to all Amazon Prime subscribers at no additional cost. 

In 2015, they rebranded again to simply Amazon Video, adding more programs and movies to its suite. This was a free service for Amazon Prime subscribers. 

It wasn't until 2016 that Amazon branched off its video streaming service into a standalone product, allowing non-Prime members to subscribe at $8.99/month. 

In 2018, they rebranded again to Prime Video, which it is still known as today. 

Cost of Netflix Over the Years

Since launching its streaming services, Netflix's standard plan has increased by $7.5/month total.

Starting as a DVD rental-by-mail service in 1998, Netflix has been the number one streaming service globally, with around 222 million total subscribers. However, it wasn't until 2007 that Netflix started streaming movies and TV shows directly to subscribers (Canada only). This was a free service for those who subscribed to the DVD service. 

Streaming wasn't available in the U.S. until 2010. 

Starting with just 1,000 titles, the library has grown significantly, with Netflix now offering original content not found on any other platform. 

Netflix Price Hikes: Basic Plan

Netflix Price Hikes: Standard Plan

Netflix Price Hikes: Premium Plan

Cost of Hulu Over the Years

Since 2010, the cost of Hulu's on-demand streaming service has only increased by $1/month. 

Hulu was launched publicly in 2008 as a free internet TV service (with ads). Viewers could access a few episodes of a TV show for a limited time only, making binge-watching impossible. 

It wasn't until 2010 that the company started offering an additional subscription service known as Hulu Plus that allowed subscribers to access full seasons of TV shows and some movies on-demand.

It initially tested a monthly price of $9.99/month but dropped it down to $7.99/month and stuck to this number for a few years.

Hulu Price Changes

Hulu (No Ads) Price Changes