The Complete History of Philo Price Hikes
Introduction
Somewhat like Facebook’s beginnings, Philo started as a 2010 Harvard experiment to provide live TV streaming on campus.
Originally named Tivli, the college-targeted service transformed into a nationwide streaming bundle in November 2017. The skinny bundle doesn’t have sports, news, or local affiliates, but it had one thing that made it different: it was budget-friendly, offering 37 channels starting at $16.
Since then, Philo continued to keep prices low with only two major price hikes. It now offers 70+ channels at $28. That’s twice the original lineup, at less than twice the original price, making it a top choice for cord-cutters on a budget.
Philo Price Hikes
May 6, 2019. From $16 to $20 (Core plan)
The first change in price isn’t technically a price hike. From the original two plans, Philo removed its cheaper option. Subscribers new to the service at the time had to pay $4 more compared to early adopters who chose the $16 tier. Existing customers were allowed to keep their original $16 rate, though without the 13 additional channels available in the core plan.
June 8, 2021. From $20 to $25 (Core plan)
After nearly four years since its launch, Philo raised prices for the first time. The original $20 rate increased by $5 for all new customers. Previous subscribers could continue to pay their regular rate as is, but the additional $5 meant a longer duration for DVR storage.
June 12, 2024. From $25 to $28 (Core plan)
Philo increased prices by $3, but only for new subscribers. Part of the increase is due to adding AMC+ slate. Considering AMC+ alone starts at $6.99, that’s not a bad deal.
Like the previous price increases, Philo still granted legacy customers their usual rates, though they would have missed out on the increased DVR and expanded channel line-up.
March 5, 2025. From $28 to $32 (Apple App Store billers only)
Prices rose again by $4, but only for viewers who were billed through the Apple App Store, whether that be new or existing subscribers. While Philo did not explain the change, the hike makes sense considering that Apple charged 15-30% on sales, in-app purchases, and subscriptions made through the App Store. However, a US District Court ruled against the “Apple Tax” for another app two months later, so a rollback is possible.
Philo still offers their plan at $28 for new customers who directly subscribed to Philo, or through other third-party methods like Amazon Pay. Previous rates still applied for grandfathered plans.
October 3, 2025. From $28 to $33 (Core plan)
Speaking of legacy plans, Philo recently raised prices for legacy users in October. Compared to those on the current Core plan, the $25 price is still cheaper, but the $9 price jump for early adopters would be a drastic change.
Those who subscribed to the Core plan after June would also pay a higher price for Philo.
- Legacy plans: $25 (+$9-$5 increase, depending on the plan)
- Core plan: $33 (+$5 increase)
However, this hike for Core subscribers comes with a key perk: access to ad-supported HBO Max and Discovery+. Normally, this would cost $9.99 and $5.99 respectively, so the $5 increase is actually a steal.
Philo Future Price Hikes
Philo continues to be one of the most cost-friendly streaming plans available. With only three hikes actively made on their end, we’re happy to see their commitment to keeping their price down. So far, they’ve only increased their prices after two or three years, compared to other streamers that have hikes back-to-back yearly. If it does happen, it’ll likely occur in 2026 or 2027.
Philo kept costs down for legacy plans for a while, at least until October this year. It’s great that so far, legacy plans still remain cheaper than the core plan, but there might come a time that the streamer would eventually make both plans cost the same.
It’s possible that one strategy to keep prices low would be to add advertising into the mix. Philo recently announced that they’ve expanded on their free, ad-supported television (FAST) channels, making it available to even non-subscribers. Hopefully, this would be enough to keep prices low for those that do pay for Philo.
Philo also recently added AMC+ to their line-up, so it’s possible that Philo might be eyeing to expand their library in general, whether that be adding to the core plan, or creating new add-ons. From the original 37 channels, Philo widened their channel selection by nearly twice that, and if they increase, the price might rise. Thankfully, Philo is slow to raise prices, but we’ll keep an eye if any updates happen.
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