Every Streaming Service Price Increase in 2025

The Era of Cheap Streaming Is Officially Over

Cast your mind back to 2019. Netflix cost £8.99 per month for its Standard plan. Disney+ launched at a jaw-dropping £5.99. Amazon Prime Video was included free with your Prime membership. You could stack three or four streaming services for less than £25 per month and feel like you had got an incredible deal compared to the old days of Sky at £60+.

That era is gone. Streaming services have moved decisively from their growth-at-all-costs phase into the profitability era, and the bill is landing squarely on subscribers. In 2025, nearly every major platform has raised prices for UK customers, some of them for the second or third time in just two years. The cumulative effect is staggering — a typical streaming bundle now costs more than many people's monthly food shop.

This guide tracks every 2025 price change across UK streaming services, compares them to what you were paying just a few years ago, and helps you work out whether you are getting value for money or simply paying more for the same content.

Netflix: The Price Leader Keeps Climbing

Netflix has long been the most expensive mainstream streaming service, and 2025 has done nothing to change that.

Current UK Prices (2025)

Standard with Ads: £4.99/month
Standard: £12.99/month
Premium (4K): £17.99/month

The Price History

Netflix's pricing journey in the UK tells the story of the entire streaming industry:

2014 (UK launch): Standard plan was £5.99/month
2017: Increased to £7.99/month
2019: Increased to £8.99/month
2021: Increased to £9.99/month
2022: Increased to £10.99/month
Late 2024: Increased to £12.99/month

That is a 117 percent increase from launch to today on the Standard plan. The Premium plan has risen even more dramatically, from £8.99 at launch to £17.99 — a full 100 percent increase.

What You Get (and Do Not Get)

The Standard plan now offers Full HD streaming on two screens simultaneously with no downloads limit. The ad-supported tier at £4.99 limits you to 720p resolution, shows adverts (typically four to five minutes per hour of content), and restricts some content due to licensing deals.

The Premium plan adds 4K Ultra HD, HDR, Dolby Atmos audio, and four simultaneous screens. For a household of four, this is the only plan that avoids arguments about who is using the screen. But at £17.99, you are paying more per month for Netflix alone than many people pay for their entire mobile phone contract.

Is Netflix Still Worth It?

Netflix remains the largest streaming library in the UK with a strong slate of originals, but the value equation has shifted. At £4.99, the ad tier is reasonable if you can tolerate the interruptions. At £12.99, the Standard plan is a harder sell unless you genuinely watch Netflix several times a week. At £17.99, the Premium plan only makes sense if you have a 4K TV and multiple household members actively watching.

Disney+: The Biggest Percentage Price Rise

Disney+ has had perhaps the most dramatic pricing transformation of any streaming service in the UK.

Current UK Prices (2025)

Standard with Ads: £4.99/month
Standard (ad-free): £7.99/month
Premium (4K, ad-free): £10.99/month

The Price History

March 2020 (UK launch): Single tier at £5.99/month
February 2021: Increased to £7.99/month
November 2023: Restructured into tiers. Ad-free moved to £7.99/month, new ad tier at £4.99/month
2024-2025: Premium tier introduced at £10.99/month for 4K and extra features

The original promise of Disney+ was simple: all Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic content for £5.99 per month with no adverts. Today, to get that same ad-free experience in 4K, you pay £10.99 — an 83 percent increase from the launch price. And the cheapest tier now includes adverts that were never part of the original deal.

What Changed

Disney introduced its ad tier and restructured plans to push subscribers towards higher-priced options. The content library has grown significantly with the addition of Star content (more adult-oriented films and series), but many subscribers feel that the service has not improved enough to justify nearly doubling in price. The addition of adverts to the cheapest tier was particularly controversial, as early adopters felt they were being penalised for signing up to a service that promised ad-free viewing.

Amazon Prime Video: The Hidden Price Increase

Amazon's approach to price increases has been subtler — and arguably more irritating — than its competitors.

Current UK Prices (2025)

Prime Video with Ads (included with Amazon Prime): £8.99/month or £95/year
Prime Video ad-free add-on: £2.99/month on top of Prime membership

The Price History

2014: Prime membership was £79/year and included Prime Video with no adverts
2022: Prime increased to £95/year
January 2024: Adverts introduced to Prime Video. Ad-free viewing requires an additional £2.99/month

The introduction of adverts into a service that was already paid for is the most controversial move in streaming history. Prime members who were previously getting ad-free streaming as part of their membership suddenly found themselves watching adverts unless they paid an additional £35.88 per year on top of their existing Prime subscription.

This means the true cost of ad-free Prime Video is now £130.88 per year (£95 Prime membership plus £35.88 ad-free add-on), compared to £79 per year just three years ago — a 66 percent increase for the same ad-free experience.

The Bundle Question

Prime Video's saving grace is that it comes bundled with Amazon Prime's other benefits: free next-day delivery, Prime Reading, Prime Gaming, Amazon Music, and Prime Photos. If you are a heavy Amazon shopper, the streaming is effectively a bonus. But if you subscribe to Prime primarily for the video content, the value proposition has weakened significantly.

NOW TV (NOW): Sky's Streaming Arm

NOW offers Sky's content without a satellite dish or long-term contract, and its pricing has also been creeping upward.

Current UK Prices (2025)

Entertainment Membership: £9.99/month
Cinema Membership: £9.99/month
Sports Day Pass: £14.99/day
Sports Month Pass: £34.99/month
Hayu (reality TV add-on): £4.99/month

The Price History

NOW's Entertainment pass launched at £7.99/month and has gradually increased to £9.99 — a 25 percent increase. The Cinema pass has followed a similar trajectory. The Sports passes remain the most expensive streaming option in the UK by a significant margin, reflecting the enormous cost of Premier League and other live sports rights.

Boost Add-On

NOW also offers a Boost add-on for £6/month that upgrades your picture quality to 1080p Full HD, adds 5.1 surround sound, and allows streaming on up to three devices. Without Boost, NOW streams at just 720p — noticeably lower quality than every competitor. This means getting a comparable experience to Netflix Standard costs £15.99/month for NOW Entertainment plus Boost, which is actually more expensive than Netflix.

Apple TV+: The Budget Option (For Now)

Apple TV+ has taken a different approach to the market, focusing on a smaller library of original content at a lower price point.

Current UK Prices (2025)

Apple TV+: £8.99/month
Apple One Individual (includes TV+, Music, iCloud+ 50GB, Arcade): £18.95/month
Apple One Family: £24.95/month

The Price History

November 2019 (UK launch): £4.99/month
October 2022: Increased to £6.99/month
October 2023: Increased to £8.99/month

Apple TV+ has increased by 80 percent from its launch price, though it remains cheaper than Netflix and Disney+ at the premium tiers. The content library is significantly smaller than competitors, but the quality of originals (Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Slow Horses) is consistently high.

The Apple Ecosystem Factor

Apple TV+ becomes more compelling as part of an Apple One bundle, especially if you already use Apple Music, iCloud storage, and Apple Arcade. The Family plan at £24.95 for six people is genuine value if your household is in the Apple ecosystem. On its own, however, £8.99 for a relatively small library is a tougher sell than it was at £4.99.

Paramount+: The Newcomer

Current UK Prices (2025)

Standard (with Ads): £4.99/month
Premium (ad-free, 4K): £7.99/month

Paramount+ launched in the UK in June 2022 and has so far kept its prices relatively stable compared to competitors. The library includes content from Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, and the Star Trek franchise. Whether it remains affordable depends on how aggressively Paramount pursues profitability in the UK market.

YouTube Premium: The Quiet Riser

YouTube Premium often gets overlooked in streaming comparisons, but it has also seen significant price increases.

Current UK Prices (2025)

Individual: £12.99/month
Family (up to 5 members): £19.99/month
Student: £7.49/month

YouTube Premium launched at £11.99/month and has increased to £12.99. The Family plan has seen a sharper jump, rising from £17.99 to £19.99. YouTube Premium is unique in that its primary benefit is ad-free YouTube, which is fundamentally different from a traditional streaming library. Whether it is worth the price depends on how much YouTube you watch and how much adverts bother you.

The Total Cost of a 2025 Streaming Bundle

Let us calculate what a typical multi-service streaming bundle costs in 2025 compared to previous years.

A "Full Stack" Bundle (All Major Services)

If you subscribe to Netflix Standard, Disney+ Standard, Prime Video (ad-free), Apple TV+, and NOW Entertainment:

Netflix Standard: £12.99
Disney+ Standard: £7.99
Prime Video ad-free: £8.99 + £2.99 = £11.98
Apple TV+: £8.99
NOW Entertainment: £9.99
Monthly total: £51.94
Annual total: £623.28

The Same Bundle in 2020

Netflix Standard: £8.99
Disney+: £5.99
Prime (included): ~£6.58/month (£79/year)
Apple TV+: £4.99
NOW Entertainment: £7.99
Monthly total: £34.54
Annual total: £414.48

That is a £208.80 per year increase — a 50 percent rise in total cost over just five years. And this does not include music streaming, news subscriptions, or any other digital services.

The Budget Alternative

If you switch every service to its cheapest ad-supported tier:

Netflix with Ads: £4.99
Disney+ with Ads: £4.99
Prime Video (with ads, included in Prime): £8.99
Apple TV+: £8.99 (no ad tier available)
Paramount+ with Ads: £4.99
Monthly total: £32.95
Annual total: £395.40

Even the budget route now costs nearly £400 per year, and you are watching adverts on most services.

Smart Strategies to Reduce Your Streaming Bill

Rotate Instead of Stack

The single most effective strategy is to subscribe to one or two services at a time instead of all of them simultaneously. Watch everything you want on Netflix for a month or two, then cancel and switch to Disney+. Most services preserve your profile and watchlist when you cancel, so you can pick up where you left off when you return.

Share Plans Where Possible

Netflix, Spotify, YouTube Premium, and Apple One all offer family or household plans that can significantly reduce the per-person cost. Netflix's household plan is more restrictive than it used to be (everyone must be at the same address), but if you live with family or housemates, it is still cheaper than individual plans.

Use Annual Plans

Several services offer annual billing at a discount compared to monthly. Amazon Prime's annual plan saves about £13 compared to monthly billing. Disney+ annual plan saves roughly £10. If you know you will keep a service for the full year, annual billing is almost always the better deal.

Watch for Bundled Deals

Some services are included in other subscriptions you may already have:

Apple TV+ is included free for three months with any new Apple device purchase
Paramount+ is sometimes included with Sky Cinema or certain mobile contracts
Amazon Prime Video comes with your Prime membership (though ad-free costs extra)
BT includes specific streaming add-ons with certain broadband packages

Take Advantage of Free Trials

Most streaming services still offer free trials for new or returning customers. If you cancelled Netflix six months ago, check whether you qualify for a free month when you re-subscribe. Apple TV+ frequently offers extended three-month trials through various promotions.

The Bigger Picture

The trajectory is clear: streaming prices will continue to rise. Every major platform is now focused on profitability over subscriber growth, and that means extracting more revenue from existing customers. The days of unlimited content for under £10 per month are behind us.

The silver lining is that you have more power than you think. Unlike traditional pay-TV contracts with minimum terms and cancellation fees, most streaming subscriptions can be cancelled instantly and re-started at any time. The companies want you to stay subscribed year-round out of inertia, but there is no financial penalty for being an active, rotating subscriber who only pays for what they actually watch.

Your streaming budget should be a conscious decision, not an autopilot expense. Work out what you can genuinely afford, pick the services that offer the most value to you right now, and cancel everything else. Revisit the decision every few months, and do not be afraid to drop a service and come back later. In a world of rising prices, your willingness to cancel is the most valuable negotiating tool you have.