As Paramount+ prepares to become the home of UFC at the start of 2026, the streamer is increasing its prices.
In a letter to investors, Paramount announced that it will raise prices for its streaming service early in the first quarter of 2026. According to Variety, the ad-supported Paramount+ Essential plan will increase by $1 to $8.99 per month, with the ad-free Premium plan costing $13.99 per month (also a $1 increase). Meanwhile, the annual Essential plan will increase from $59.99 to $89.99, with the annual Premium plan moving from $119.99 to $139.99.
“These changes will fuel continued reinvestment in the user experience and deliver an even stronger slate of programming for our customers in the year ahead and beyond,” the company wrote in the letter.
The timing of the changes — which are expected to go into effect on Jan. 15, is hardly coincidental — with Paramount’s 11-year, $7.7 billion deal with UFC set to kick in at the start of the new year. Speaking on an earnings call, Paramount CEO David Ellison expressed excitement for his company’s partnership with UFC, which will eliminate the MMA giant’s previous pay-per-view model.
“It really is a unicorn sports property, and we think it’s going to drive a tremendous amount of value in terms of both subscriber growth and engagement across Paramount+ as well as CBS, where there will be some aspect of the UFC that also lives on CBS,” Ellison said. “When you think about the UFC and the opportunity there, there are 100 million fans in the U.S. alone. It has grown 25 percent since 2019 to date, and it has been doing all of that behind a double paywall in its previous home. From that standpoint, we think when you eliminate the double paywall, it is going to become much more accessible, and we think that growth rate will increase.”
Despite the impending price increases, Ellison called the new UFC offering a “really significant” value for Paramount+ subscribers, pointing out that an annual plan will cost less than the current price of a monthly pay-per-view. Currently UFC pay-per-views cost $79.99 per show on ESPN, in addition to the cost of an ESPN streaming subscription.
“Having an asset like the UFC is going to increase engagement on platform,” he said. “It’s going to drive subscribers, and we’re feeling incredibly confident in the investment that we just made.”
While Paramount+ is one of the more affordable streaming services, it was always inevitable that a price increase would occur. Especially as Ellison continues to bulk up his company’s sports library, which also includes the NFL, March Madness, Big Ten football, major PGA events, the UEFA Champions League, Zuffa Boxing and PBR.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.