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Riding high off the 27 Emmy nominations it received for Severance, Apple is increasing the price of its streaming service from $9.99 to $12.99 per month.
The Apple TV+ price hike is rolling out today for new customers, Apple tells PCMag. Existing subscribers will see the change 30 days after their next renewal date. It will also affect some international markets.
The price change is eye-popping considering Apple TV+ originally launched in 2019 for a mere $4.99 per month. But since then, the streaming service has seen its price increase to $6.99 in 2022, $9.99 in 2023, and now $12.99.
How to Avoid the Apple TV+ Price Hike
(Credit: PCMag/Apple)In some good news, the annual subscription price for Apple TV+ will remain unchanged at $99.99 per year. To switch, go to Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions > Apple TV+ > See All Plans and select $99 per year, saving yourself about $56.
Pricing for Apple One, which bundles cloud services including Apple TV+, is also not changing. An individual account includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage for $19.95 per month after a one-month trial. A Premier version adds Apple News and Fitness+ for $37.95 per month and lets you share with up to five people.
To subscribe, head to Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions > Try It Free and select a plan.
(Credit: PCMag/Apple)Why Another Price Hike?
Apple justifies the increase by citing its growing catalog of high-quality content. In addition to Severance, other Apple TV+ shows earned Emmy nods this year, including The Studio, Shrinking, Slow Horses, and Presumed Innocent.
“Since its launch, Apple TV+ has expanded its deep library of hundreds of exclusive Apple Originals, with thousands of hours of premium programming across genres and brand new releases weekly — all ad-free,” the company says.
On tap for September is season four of The Morning Show on Sept. 17 and season five of Slow Horses on Sept. 24. Pluribus from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan debuts on Nov. 7. Don't expect Severance season three for at least another year.
In recent months, other streaming services, including Netflix and Peacock have also raised prices. If you’re on a budget, you can still find some free, ad-supported streaming services.