Discovery+ Raises Subscription Prices by Up to 20 Percent

New Prices Take Effect

Discovery+ subscription prices went up today, with increases of up to 20 percent. Ad-free plans for new subscribers rose from $10 per month to $12 per month, while ad-based plans increased from $6 to $7. The new prices apply immediately to new subscribers.

Current subscribers will receive 30 days' notice before the change takes effect, starting with bills issued as of November 12. The streaming service primarily features unscripted content, such as reality shows and documentaries.

Timing After Skydance Merger

The increase comes one week after Paramount Skydance completed its acquisition of Discovery+ parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, forming Skydance. However, a Skydance spokesperson told Ars Technica that the pricing changes were already in the works before Discovery+ knew the merger's closing date and were not planned in anticipation of the deal.

The spokesperson said Discovery+ regularly evaluates its prices to ensure they are in line with the content and experience the service offers, and the new prices reflect that assessment.

Price History and Profitability

Discovery+ has raised prices three times since launching in 2012. Before this change, the most recent increase occurred in January 2025, when ad-based monthly subscriptions went from $5 to $6 and ad-free plans from $9 to $10.

Discovery+ has been a smaller part of Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming portfolio, which was led by its flagship service HBO Max. Even so, the service has been profitable since at least 2023, and executives have pointed to its low cancellation rates. In a February earnings call, JB Perette, Warner Bros. Discovery's CEO and president of global streaming and games, confirmed Discovery+ remains profitable and called it "a tremendous opportunity" with "a lot more ahead for us."

Warner Bros. Discovery said in 2022 that Discovery+ had 24 million subscribers. No further details on the service's subscriber count or profitability have been released since.

What Comes Next

It remains unclear what changes the new media conglomerate will make to Discovery+ in the coming months. In an announcement last week, Skydance said it plans to combine all of its direct-to-consumer streaming services, including Paramount+, Discovery+, and HBO Max, into a single service over time. That combined service could carry a higher cost, especially given Discovery+'s new price.

Sources: Ars Technica