Paramount Global revealed in its recent earnings update that the U.S. pricing for Paramount+ will rise beginning in the first quarter of 2026. Comparable adjustments are set for audiences in Canada and Australia. Although exact amounts remain undisclosed, these updates typically involve an extra one or two dollars each month. Given the frequent rate changes by major streaming platforms every year or so, this development feels expected; the prior adjustment occurred in June 2024. The update also indicated that free trial periods, a standard perk in online media services, will end for the platform.
These adjustments reflect a broader review of Paramount+'s economic model to enhance ongoing revenue generation. The strategy encompasses abandoning fixed package deals and unprofitable membership tiers, scaling back funding for overseas expansions without strong growth prospects, eliminating trial offers, and evaluating promotional pricing approaches.
The initiatives arrive shortly after Skydance completed its $8 billion takeover of Paramount this summer, a deal that secured necessary approvals amid questionable exchanges involving FCC Chair Brendan Carr.