Apple TV Jumps to $14.99 a Month, Fourth Hike Since 2022

Apple Raises Apple TV Prices Again

Apple TV subscribers in the United States are paying more starting August 28, 2026, as the company raised its monthly price from $12.99 to $14.99 and its annual plan from $99 to $119 167. The change took effect immediately for new subscribers, while existing customers are set to receive roughly one month's notice before the higher rate hits their next bill 1614. Apple also confirmed price increases in Brazil, Chile and Mexico, though no other international markets were affected in this round 6.

Alongside the standalone service, Apple raised the price of the Apple One Individual bundle — which combines Apple TV, Apple Music, Arcade and 50GB of iCloud+ storage — from $19.95 to $21.95 per month 6815. Notably, Apple One's Family and Premier tiers were left untouched this time, since those plans had already gone up in price the previous month alongside a broader Apple Music increase 81620.

The Fourth Hike in Four Years

This is not an isolated move. Apple TV launched in November 2019 at just $4.99 a month, a deliberately low price meant to draw subscribers into a fledgling, limited-catalog service with shows like "The Morning Show," "See" and "Dickinson" 1112. Since then, the price has climbed steadily: to $6.99 in 2022, $9.99 in 2023, $12.99 in August 2025, and now $14.99 6920. That trajectory means the monthly cost has essentially tripled since launch, marking roughly a 200% increase and the service's fourth price hike in four years 13151618.

Several outlets note that the pace of increases has accelerated sharply: the jump from $9.99 to $14.99 represents about a 50% rise in just two years 1516. Last year's increase, a jump from $9.99 to $12.99, was itself a roughly 30% hike, though it left the annual plan untouched at the time 79. This year's $2 monthly bump is comparatively smaller in percentage terms — about 15% — but it lands almost exactly one year after the previous increase, reinforcing a now-annual pattern 91318.

Apple's Case for a Premium Price

Apple has not publicly tied the increase to any single cost driver, but coverage points to an expanding content and sports lineup as the implicit justification. The service's library now includes award-winning originals such as "Severance," "Slow Horses," "Ted Lasso" and the newly buzzed-about "Widow's Bay," which reportedly landed 19 Emmy nominations this year as Apple TV overall picked up a record 87 nominations 13. Apple has also pushed further into live sports, adding Formula 1, Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball coverage, which several outlets suggest helps justify pitching the service as a full-fledged premium product rather than a cheap add-on 10151620.

The timing is notable given Apple's broader financial performance: the company reported a record June quarter with $109.4 billion in revenue, driven partly by a 22% jump in iPhone sales, meaning the price hike arrives from a position of corporate strength rather than apparent financial strain 18.

No Ad Tier Means No Escape Hatch

One recurring theme across coverage is that Apple TV remains the only major streaming service without a cheaper, ad-supported option 1415. Rivals like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Max and Peacock have all rolled out discounted ad-supported tiers that let price-sensitive viewers stay subscribed at a lower cost. Apple offers no such alternative — subscribers either pay the full $14.99, commit to the annual plan, opt into a bundle, or cancel altogether 1014. The Los Angeles Times frames this as effectively a test of how much viewers are willing to pay for an ad-free, curated slate without a discount safety valve 17.

Part of a Wider Streaming Price Wave

Apple's move lands squarely within a broader trend of rising subscription costs across the entertainment industry, one that the Hollywood Reporter bluntly labels "streaming inflation" 10. Peacock recently raised prices across all three of its tiers, with its ad-supported plan climbing to $12.99 and its top plan rising to $19.99 ahead of the new NBA and NFL seasons 51417. Netflix has also raised prices twice in roughly a year, pushing its standard ad-free plan toward $27 a month in some reports 317. YouTube Premium has been raising prices in multiple international markets, including a confirmed increase in Singapore following a earlier U.S. hike, suggesting a global rather than isolated pricing shift 3. Variety notes that Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+ and YouTube Premium have all raised prices within the past two years, and that ESPN's streaming service was also set to increase rates in mid-September 14.

Bundling as a Retention Strategy

The simultaneous Apple One price increase highlights how bundling has become a central tool for reducing subscriber churn. For a household paying separately for Apple Music, iCloud storage and Apple TV, the $21.95 Apple One Individual plan can still be cheaper than stacking those subscriptions individually, even after the increase 68. Because canceling a bundle requires reconsidering multiple services at once, it may prove stickier than a standalone Apple TV subscription, which a user can drop with a single click. Some coverage also points to existing Apple TV–Peacock bundle offers as part of a wider industry effort to package multiple services together and soften the sting of individual price hikes 19.

What It Means for Subscribers

For viewers who plan to keep Apple TV running year-round, the $119 annual plan remains the better deal, working out to roughly $9.92 per month compared with $14.99 billed monthly — a savings of about $61 annually 920. But for subscribers primarily chasing one or two specific shows, several outlets suggest the more rational strategy may be to subscribe for a single month, binge the content, and cancel before the next charge, especially given Apple TV's comparatively smaller content library next to giants like Netflix or Disney+ 1920.

Reaction from subscribers captured in some coverage skews skeptical, with online commenters questioning whether Apple TV's catalog justifies a near-$15 monthly price tag and speculating about further restrictions, such as tighter limits on family sharing 18. Business Insider, meanwhile, argues that despite the increase, Apple TV — particularly when paired with Peacock — still represents one of the more reasonable values in a streaming landscape where subscribing to all the major ad-free services individually can top $137 a month 19.

The Bigger Picture

Apple TV's evolution from a $4.99 experimental service in 2019 to a nearly $15-a-month subscription in 2026 mirrors an industry-wide shift away from cheap, growth-focused pricing toward monetizing established subscriber bases. With no disclosed subscriber numbers and no ad-supported alternative, Apple's bet is that a stronger content slate, expanding sports rights and ecosystem bundling will keep customers paying — even as the calculus for casual viewers increasingly favors subscribing only when there's something specific worth watching 101420.