Apple TV+’s sudden price hike will see people paying 30% more – and angry subscribers are already canceling

Carol answers her phone in fear while sitting on her couch
Pluribus is the highly anticipated new Apple TV+ show. (Image credit: Apple TV+)

  • Apple TV+ has announced an immediate price increase of 30%
  • Existing subscribers will be impacted within 30 days of their next renewal date
  • Currently, Apple TV+ is the only major streaming service without an ad-supported tier

Apple TV+ has shocked subscribers today (August 21) with an immediate price hike that will see subscription costs jumping from $9.99 to $12.99 in the US.

The 30% increase will be applied immediately for new subscribers, with existing ones getting more leeway. They will see the higher price within 30 days of their next renewal date.

So if you are an existing customer, you might want to make the most of the best Apple TV+ shows and best Apple TV+ movies before the change happens.

Apple TV+ is home to acclaimed shows like Severance, which was recently renewed for season 3. We have also seen significant hype for Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and his new series, Pluribus, which has a creepy number you can call. But the buzz around these two shows might not be enough to convince subscribers to stay.

Everything we know about Apple TV+'s price hike

Helly R and Mark S look shocked in Severance season 2

Severance is Apple TV+'s most popular show. (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

It's not just the US that is affected by the change. Apple TV+'s increase will also affect global customers, and we have an outline of the price changes below, which appear to vary by territory.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Country

Old price

New price

US

$9.99

$12.99

UK

£8.99

£9.99

Australia

$12.99

$15.99

Unsurprisingly, subscribers have reacted badly to the news, and some have already canceled. This does make me worry about Apple TV+'s future, and it comes as a disappointment after we crowned the service Streaming Service of the Year in 2024.

With many of the best streaming services offering ad-supported tiers as a cheaper option, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple TV+ is forced to follow suit.

According to Variety, "In justifying the price hike, Apple noted that it has launched a slew of TV shows and movies and that the service doesn’t include any ads. Indeed, Apple TV+ remains the only major streaming service that does not offer a price-reduced ad-supported plan."

But this decision hasn't gone down well. Here are some of the annoyed responses after Apple's announcement.

Right now, Apple TV+ seems to have no intentions of adding ads, but further backlash may change things in the future.

I like a lot of the shows on there, personally, but I'm not sure I'll be keeping my subscription if prices continue to go up.

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Lucy Buglass
Senior Entertainment Writer

Lucy is a long-time movie and television lover who is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. She has written several reviews in her time, starting with a small self-ran blog called Lucy Goes to Hollywood before moving onto bigger websites such as What's on TV and What to Watch, with TechRadar being her most recent venture. Her interests primarily lie within horror and thriller, loving nothing more than a chilling story that keeps her thinking moments after the credits have rolled. Many of these creepy tales can be found on the streaming services she covers regularly.

When she’s not scaring herself half to death with the various shows and movies she watches, she likes to unwind by playing video games on Easy Mode and has no shame in admitting she’s terrible at them. She also quotes The Simpsons religiously and has a Blinky the Fish tattoo, solidifying her position as a complete nerd. 

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