The Complete History of Apple TV Price Hikes
Introduction
After more than a decade creating tech for the TV industry, Apple released its streaming service Apple TV+ on November 1, 2019.
It took a while for Apple to do so. The software company already had iTunes for digital media and Apple TV microconsoles for wireless mirroring, but Apple TV+ marked the company’s foray into the film and television industry itself, creating original content exclusively for their platform. Prices started at $4.99, though no one knew then what the streamer had yet to offer.
Six years later, Apple TV+ now holds a library that may be small, but are mostly critically acclaimed. They’ve also increased their monthly subscription to $9.99, which is more than twice the original cost, and which is now comparable to most other streaming services. They’ve also rebranded back to Apple TV. So with the smaller, but great library, is Apple TV still worth the cost? We’re diving into their history of price hikes to find out.
Apple TV+ Price Hikes
October 30, 2020. From $4.99 to $4.99 (Apple TV+ monthly plan)
Amidst the global pandemic, Apple TV+ thankfully kept prices the same.
- Standalone monthly plan – $4.99/month (no change)
- Standalone annual plan – $49/year (no change)
So why is this section here, you ask? Well, 2020 was also the year Apple offered the Apple One bundle. This bundle offered all of Apple’s subscriptions (Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and iCloud) all in one. The premier version also includes Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+.
- Apple One Individual plan – $14.95/month
- Apple One Family plan – $19.95/month
- Apple One Premier plan – $29.95/month
This signalled Apple’s increased interest in expanding their subscription services.
October 24, 2022. From $4.99 to $6.99 (Apple TV+ monthly plan)
Apple TV+ first increased prices by 40% in 2022. The percentage is a bit high, but considering that the monthly plan increased by only $2 after three years since launch, the increase wasn’t that bad.
- Standalone monthly plan – $6.99/month (+$2)
- Standalone annual plan – $69/year (+$20)
This price hike also comes right after the streamer’s Originals garnered critical success. The previous year saw CODA winning the Oscar for Best Picture, while shows like Severance and Ted Lasso unexpectedly getting nominated for multiple Emmys.
Likewise, the Apple One bundles also faced price hikes:
- Apple One Individual plan – $16.95/month (+$2)
- Apple One Family plan – $22.95/month (+$3)
- Apple One Premier plan – $32.95/month (+$3)
October 24, 2023. From $6.99 to $9.99 (Apple TV+ monthly plan)
Apple TV+’s second price hike wasn’t equally well received. Compared to the previous year, the $3 hike made the price rise by 30%. However, the platform’s subscription fee now comes around the same price as other streaming services. Compared to streaming giants like Netflix, Apple TV’s base plan is slightly more expensive.
- Standalone monthly plan – $9.99/month (+$3)
- Standalone annual plan – $99/year (+$30)
This also affected prices for Apple One. However, changes in the individual cost of Apple Arcade and Apple News+ could also have affected the price of the bundles.
- Apple One Individual plan – $19.95/month (+$3)
- Apple One Family plan – $25.95/month (+$3)
- Apple One Premier plan – $37.95/month (+$5)
Either way, it’s clear that Apple TV+ has now completely banked on its slate to pull in subscribers.
August 21, 2025. From $9.99 to $12.99 (Apple TV+ monthly plan)
Two years later, Apple TV+ increased its monthly prices by 30% yet again.
- Standalone monthly plan – $12.99/month (+$3)
- Standalone annual plan – $99/year (No change)
It’s not a crazy change, especially for one of the few streamers that refuses to include ads, but considering Apple TV+’s relatively small library, and the removal of MLB, the price hike is harder to justify.
However, it’s entirely possible that the increase was made so as to encourage users to switch to other plans instead. The standalone annual plan thankfully still remained the same price, but interestingly enough, the Apple One bundles still costs the same:
- Apple One Individual plan – $19.95/month (no change)
- Apple One Family plan – $25.95/month (no change)
- Apple One Premier plan – $37.95/month (no change)
Still, many monthly standalone Apple TV+ subscribers were not happy. In response to increased cancellations, Apple offered a 54% discount for existing subscribers, offering $5.99 for two months.
October 20, 2025. From $12.99 to $12.99 (Apple TV monthly plan)
2025 seems to be a busy year for Apple TV+, because shortly after the price hike, they’ve recently rebranded to Apple TV, the original name for their streaming device and microconsole. Thankfully, when it came to prices, Apple’s next update was not an increase for their standalone or Apple One plans. Instead, it was a new offer of discount bundles, with Apple TV teaming up with Peacock.
- Apple TV with Peacock Premium: $14.99/month (New bundle)
- Apple TV with Peacock Premium Plus: $19.99/month (New bundle)
Don’t worry: Apple One subscribers weren’t left out. They were also offered with Peacock Premium or Family at a 35% discount. In addition, current subscribers of either platform now have access to a sample of the other platform’s library, offering around 3 episodes each from their biggest series.
Apple TV+ Future Price Hikes
Given that Apple only increased prices thrice on its streamer, Apple TV’s next price hike is not so predictable. Since its launch six years ago, Apple only increased prices for Apple TV thrice. Hopefully that means the next price hike would be two years from now.
The good news for all Apple TV subscribers is that the streamer has a few characteristics that keep price increases slower compared to other streamers. First, Apple obviously isn’t only selling Apple TV, so it’s not totally relying on the streamer to make money. The streamer is more of a perk for those with an Apple device and those who enjoy using the ecosystem, so as long as sales for their main products are up, Apple can take time to find their footing with Apple TV.
Second, Apple rarely hosts content outside of what they made or own. Aside from some one-offs, Apple TV mostly airs their Originals on-demand. That means Apple doesn’t have to pay as much for licensing fees.
Third, with their latest update, Apple TV’s next moves might not be a price hike. Their discount bundles with Peacock shows that the streamer is at least interested in creating plans with more value for money. It’s possible that Apple TV might team up with other streamers, similar to the way Disney has teamed up with HBO Max.
Lastly, Apple is optimistic about the streamer’s future for 2025. Its launch in late 2019 meant that Apple TV had to first survive 2020’s global pandemic and then 2023’s strikes, both of which delayed their Originals’ pipelines drastically. This year, the service can finally release a full year slate without interruptions.
That being said, Apple spent a lot on the streamer. When we mean “a lot”, we mean billions of dollars. Reportedly, Apple has spent more than five billion per year since 2019. Sure, that might be chump change for one of the biggest tech companies in the world, but they’ve also been losing a billion on the streamer alone. Apple TV only started to cut back on costs in 2024, spending $500 million that year, but because of the loss, Apple might be pushed to increase prices.
Still, the price might be worth it to some subscribers because of their slate of content. Considering the way people rave about shows like Severance and Silo, Apple TV’s quality over quantity strategy would at least encourage their current subscriber base to stay. Hopefully, the streamer would be able to keep that quality while keeping the prices from increasing. In the meantime, we’ll keep an eye on price hikes like these to help cord-cutters like you to choose between streaming services.
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