Paramount+ is making big changes in 2026 – and it’s not all good news for subscribers

• Paramount+ has announced plans to increase US prices in January 2026
• The price hike will help to offset $1.5 billion in new content for the service
• Some markets may see the free trial offer discontinued and less deals

It's only been 100 days since the Paramount and Skydance merger was completed, and we're already hearing major plans to change the content and pricing on Paramount+ (for better and worse).

During the entertainment company's Q3 earnings call on November 10, Paramount (now officially Paramount Skydance) outlined a new strategy for its streaming business that most notably included a price hike for both its ad-free and ad-supported tiers in the US. That's in addition to the already announced separate price hikes in Australia and Canada.

While executives didn't specify how much it'll raise prices, The Hollywood Reporter has since indicated US users can expect to see the monthly plans rise by $1 each on January 17, 2026. The annual tiers will also increase on the same day, but users can expect to pay 50% more for the 'Essential' plan and 17% more for 'Premium'.

Paramount has said its Direct to Consumer (DTC) business, which includes Paramount+, is its biggest priority in the year ahead, so while the price hike might look like a bad sign of things to come, there are other more positive updates on the way to subscribers, too.

The next major change users can expect is more Paramount+ Originals. This is set to come directly off the back of its planned price hikes, as the company said it will reinvest what it hopes will be another uptick in revenue from the increase in costs (the streamer added 1.4 million new subscribers between July and September to give you an idea of how much this could be) into new content.

Paramount isn't just referring to hit movies or TV shows, like the recently renewed Dexter: Resurrection or upcoming final seasons of Yellowjackets and The Chi, either. It's also talking about its $7.7 billion deal to be the exclusive home for UFC live sporting events in the US, as well as an increase in third-party licensing to boost up its catalog.

As one of the best streaming services for classic content, Paramount+ is already known for updating its library every month with new movies and shows, particularly in the US where it regularly adds upwards of 100 new licensed movies every 30 days. It added 143 new movies in November alone, just to give you an idea of how large its catalog updates could become.

That could be boosted further still with Paramount's plans to have at least 15 theatrical releases annually starting in 2026. It already has several highly anticipated films premiering next year, including Scream 7, Scary Movie 6, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, and Street Fighter, so audiences can likely expect a bumper slate to be announced in the latter half of next year.

In fact, a more established release schedule of new content was something that Paramount CEO David Ellison said is part of the plan for 2026. "This includes establishing an Originals launch calendar with tentpole releases spread across the year, moving away from the historical concentration around the sports season and year-end surge, which has previously led to uneven engagement," he said during the earnings call.

Why Black Friday is going to be the time to get a Paramount+ subscription

As part of Paramount's new business focus to maximize its investment in new content, the company has also said that it is taking other cost initiatives to shore up the additional funds needed for those big blockbusters.

On top of the price hike, Paramount+ subscribers should expect to see less of the best streaming deals including the service, as part of its plans to scale back discounts. That initiative extends to bundle offers, free trials, and what it called "low-margin subscriptions", which essentially refers to its cheaper ad-supported tier.

That means a lot of the cost effective ways to get a subscription, including the Paramount+ free trial, could soon disappear. But, before you rush to secure a cheaper subscription ahead of the impending price hike and deals drought, Paramount hasn't specified where or when these discounts will be retired, so there's still time to find some savings.

The best offer available, at the time of writing, is not exactly a limited-time deal, but the regular monthly saving by signing up to one of its annual plans right away, which works out to be roughly 23% off the usual monthly fee. That might not sound like a major discount, but with a price hike on the way, it could make a big difference.

To put that into context, the price of Paramount+ rose twice before its latest announcement, with the ad-free rate climbing from $9.99 per month when it launched in 2021 to $12.99 per month at the time of writing, marking a 30% increase during that time. With that figure set to go up to 40% by 2026, it would make it the third cheapest ad-free major streamer in the US.

Paramount+ 'Premium' annual plan: was $155.88 now $119.99 at Paramount+
This is a standard bundle deal, but it's worth knowing about. The 'Premium' plan throws together the Paramount+ library you know and love, cuts out the commercials, and also adds all Showtime's titles for just $10 a month. Watch Tulsa King and Yellowjackets in equal measure with the best of both thanks to this streaming deal. Opt between the plan's monthly or yearly rate and enjoy a 7-day Paramount+ free trial off the bat. There are also Paramount+ coupon codes to take advantage of, so don't ignore those.

View Deal

Of course, there's always Pluto TV to fall back on, which is one of the best free streaming services. You won't get new releases or as much content as its paid-for streamer, but it's worth knowing about, especially with Paramount improving the service. It said during its latest earnings call that it's also exploring using AI across personalization and recommendations, so that could be about to see a major upgrade.

If a free stripped-back version of Paramount+ isn't going to cut it, my last piece of advice is to keep an eye out for Black Friday deals to start surfacing. Last year, the service launched a limited-time sale that brought down the price of a subscription its 'Premium' tier to just $2.99 a month.

If a similar Paramount+ Black Friday deal is announced in the weeks ahead, I wouldn't wait to snap it up as it may well be one of the last opportunities to get the service for a much cheaper price. In the meantime, make sure to check back on us at TechRadar to see if any offers get announced.

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