Nine Bucks a Month For Basic Cable Reality Lifestyle Shows?! Discovery Plus Ups Price

By Daniel Frankel
( NextTV )
published

Warner Bros. Discovery insists it's the first time it has increased the price for the SVOD service in the U.S. and Canada since it launched in 2021

HBO Max and Discovery Plus rollup
(Image credit: Getty Images)

After losing 1.8 million direct-to-consumer subscribers in the second quarter, Warner Bros. Discovery has upped the price of the ad-free Discovery Plus in the U.S. from $6.99 a month to $8.99, effective Tuesday.

The subscription streaming service's existing customers will see the new rate reflected on their next billing cycle on or after Nov. 2, while new subscribers will feel the pain right away. 

The partially ad-supported version will remain priced at $4.99 a month. 

WBD is also increasing the price of the service in Canada by two Canadian Dollars to $8.99 CAD. However, in the Great White North, the price of the "ad-lite" iteration will rise from $4.99 - $5.99 CAD. 

WBD said its the first time it's raised prices on Discovery Plus domestically since launching the service in 2021. 

The media conglomerate rolled Discovery Plus' library of basic-cable reality-lifestyle programming into HBO Max back in April, rebranding the combined service as "Max" and pricing the ad-free version at $15.99. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, Netflix is set to also raise prices of its ad-free tier after the Hollywood actors strike ends. 

Daniel Frankel
Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!