The streaming wars are coming for your wallet — Paramount Plus to cost more in 2026

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Those included UFC PPVs don't come cheap

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Another streaming service is preparing to increase its prices. This time, it's Paramount Plus planning a bump.

According to the company's Q3 2025 earnings report (via Variety), "ongoing investments in Paramount Plus are enhancing the value we deliver to consumers. To support this continued investment, we plan to implement price increases in the U.S. early in the first quarter of 2026."

How much will Paramount Plus cost in 2026?

Most plans are increasing by $1 per month, which is a relatively low cost for UFC fans who are getting the company's live events, which typically cost $79 on Pay-Per-View. For non-UFC fans, this price hike is probably a lot more disappointing, since they'll probably feel that they're paying extra for nothing.

As for the price, the cheapest plan, Paramount Plus Essential (ad-supported), will increase by $1 to $8.99 per month. The Paramount Plus Premium (ad-free) plan will rise by $1 to $13.99 per month. Again, for UFC fans, this is a drop in the bucket compared to the $80 price tag for a PPV that fans are used to paying.

On the annual plan side, you're looking at a new price of $89.99 per year for the ad-supported plan, and the Premium plan is $139.99 per year.

Paramount Plus needs to make up the cost of its seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with UFC that makes Paramount Plus the exclusive rightsholder for the promotion's events. As soon as Paramount Plus and UFC announced the deal, a price increase was inevitable.

And that's not even including the five-year exclusive deal with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, co-creators of “South Park,” that is reported to be worth about $1.5 billion.

There's also the important fact that Paramount Plus is under new ownership, with Skydance Media having acquired Paramount Global for $8 billion in August 2025. That's a massive investment to make up, and $1 monthly increases are one way to speed up the process.

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Dave LeClair
Dave LeClair
Senior News Editor

Dave LeClair is the Senior News Editor for Tom's Guide, keeping his finger on the pulse of all things technology. He loves taking the complicated happenings in the tech world and explaining why they matter. Whether Apple is announcing the next big thing in the mobile space or a small startup advancing generative AI, Dave will apply his experience to help you figure out what's happening and why it's relevant to your life.

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