Paramount+ prices going up in January 2026

Paramount+ will raise its monthly fee in January 2026.

The streamer’s ad-supported Essentials plan will rise $1 per month, going to $8.99 per month, while the higher tier will also go up a buck to $13.99 per month. The higher tier, which is branded as Paramount Plus with Showtime, removes most ads, unlocks access to local CBS stations as well as additional content from Showtime.

The changes go into effect Jan. 15, 2026, for new subscribers. Existing members will see the new price billed on the first cycle after that date.

Paramount+ is also “retiring” free trials to the service as well as initiating a review of discount practices, according to an announcement.

Paramount+ currently offers 50% off for students and members of the military, though it’s not clear if those will be affected.

The streamer’s increase follows similar announcements from HBO Max and Peacock in recent months, with Netflix also increase its rates in January 2025.

At least some of the price increase can likely be attributed to Paramount+’s increase in content. 

Earlier in the year, the newly-merged Paramount Skydance, the parent of the streamer, announced it had agreed to pay $7.7 billion for seven years for rights to UFC fights.

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While select matchups are being shown on CBS, more will be carried on Paramount+ without any pay per view fee.

Like most streamers, Paramount+ also invests heavily in original content though, also following an industry trend, recent efforts to curtail some of those costs have affected output to at least some degree.

The UFC deal will likely give a specific demographic another reason to consider subscribing to Paramount+. UFC does have somewhat of a niche audience, however, so there is also likely a good chunk of the population who won’t see those broadcasts as an added benefit.

That, however, has been true of many streaming sports broadcasts — historically, they have centered around smaller leagues or less popular sports, though recent years have seen an increase in more mainstream matches being featured exclusively on streaming.

Some subscribers won’t be directly affected by the increase. Walmart+ subscribers won’t pay more for plans that include the Essentials tier unless Walmart makes its own price adjustment. It’s not clear if any funds that Walmart pays to Paramount as part of its arrangement will increase.

Select T-Mobile home internet customers are also slated to get free access to the Essentials tier and that arrangement will remain unaffected.