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Bad news for Paramount+ viewers: Your subscription prices are about to go up again. The higher prices, which were announced this week and are set to take effect later this summer, are yet another example of the streaming industry’s unfortunate habit of bilking TV customers for everything they’ve got.
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Reuters reports that the cost hikes are as follows: subscribers with the Paramount+ and Showtime plan will see a $1 increase. For new customers of this plan, the pay bump will start Aug. 20, while for existing users, it will go into effect on Sept. 20. Meanwhile, for those who subscribe to the Paramount+ limited commercials plan (which is a legacy account and no longer available for new subscribers), your fees will also go up by $1, rising to $7.99, on Sept. 20. Finally, the Paramount+ Essential subscription, which also has limited ads, will jump by $2 on Aug. 20, with the new price being $7.99.
Gizmodo reached out to Paramount Global for comment on the price hikes and will update this story when we receive a response.
It’s worth noting that Paramount isn’t the only one committing this sin. Pretty much every streaming service—from Netflix to Hulu to Disney+ to (HBO) Max—has made it a point to raise their prices over the past few years. The only streaming service in my rotation that doesn’t seem to have gone up lately is the Criterion Channel, which is yet another reason to sign up for their service.
The unfortunate truth is that streaming companies have a gun to viewers’ heads. If you want to tune in to see these sites’ original content (some would argue that most of the content isn’t really worth tuning into), you have to go along with whatever prices those companies set.