Streamer price hikes are taking consumers nearer to the limit of what they’re willing to spend, according to Ampere Analysis.
As such, Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video owner Amazon have been reducing the size of average price increases from 24% per subscription in 2023/24 to 14% in 2025/26. In dollar terms, the average has increased, albeit more modestly from $1.67 per month to $1.54, over the same period.
Ad-free tiers have seen larger price rises than ad-supported tiers ($1.61 versus $1.21), and the price gap between the two options has grown, Ampere’s report showed.
This points to global streaming services nearing a precipice for cost increases, as the proliferation of services available and a general caution around spending mean consumers are becoming less likely to accept higher and higher demands.
“As streaming markets mature and become increasingly competitive and saturated, Ampere believes the trend could indicate that streamers are moving closer to the limits of consumers’ willingness to pay, leaving less headroom for larger price increases in the future,” said the research house in its latest report.
With advertising now a key revenue driver for most global streamers, they are being incentivized to keep price rises down on ad-supported tiers, while increases on paid-for tiers are larger.
Western Europe has seen the largest average price rises over the past three years at $1.86 or 16%, ahead of North America ($1.79/15%) and Central and Eastern Europe ($1.68/18%).
Of the three serviced tracked, Netflix’s price increases have “remained broadly stable,” while Disney+ has “seen the clearest shift towards more modest increases.” Amazon made the fewest, which is “likely reflecting the broader role of the Prime subscription within Amazon’s retail business.”
“The decline in price increases comes as streamers diversify how they monetise their audiences. Advertising is an increasingly important revenue stream, reducing reliance on subscription pricing alone, while password-sharing crackdowns allow streamers to generate more value from existing audiences through extra member slots. As streaming businesses mature, revenue growth is becoming less reliant on price increases, while intense competition is also making streamers increasingly mindful of how they are positioned against rivals.”
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