The Discovery+ price increase takes the ad-supported plan from $5.99 to $6.99 a month and the ad-free plan from $9.99 to $11.99, according to TheWrap. New subscribers pay the higher rates now, and existing subscribers see them on bills on or after Nov. 12, 2026, per ContentGrip. That works out to $12 more a year on the cheaper plan and $24 more on the ad-free plan. The Jolt Journal’s math on the Discovery+ price increase below shows what the change costs over a year and what trimming the plan could save.
What the Discovery+ price increase changes
TheWrap reports that the ad-supported plan rises by $1, or 16.7%, and the ad-free plan rises by $2, or 20%. The article gives the new prices and the dollar increases, so the old prices and percentages are derived from those figures. Time Out and ContentGrip report the same two price points.
The timing differs by customer. TheWrap says new subscribers pay the new prices from Oct. 13, 2026, and existing subscribers get 30 days of notice. ContentGrip and Android Headlines say the higher charge reaches existing subscribers’ billing statements on or after Nov. 12. The page for DIRECTV customers lists the same two plans and says both allow up to four simultaneous streams.
Annual cost of the Discovery+ price increase
The table below is the Jolt Journal’s own arithmetic from the reported monthly prices. It multiplies each plan by 12 months and compares the result with the old price.
| Plan | Old monthly price | New monthly price | Old annual cost | New annual cost | Added cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| With ads | $5.99 | $6.99 | $71.88 | $83.88 | $12.00 |
| Ad-free | $9.99 | $11.99 | $119.88 | $143.88 | $24.00 |
The gap between the two plans also widens. Ad-free cost $4 more a month than the ad-supported plan before the change and costs $5 more now. Across a year, the ad-free premium grows from $48 to $60.
Why Discovery+ is raising prices now
TheWrap reports that the price change comes one week after the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger closed. It describes a $110 billion deal that created Skydance Corporation, with Discovery+ sitting beside Paramount+, HBO Max and Pluto TV. The same report says the increase was planned before the merger closed, and Android Headlines reports that it was planned months earlier.
No company statement on the Discovery+ price increase appears in TheWrap’s article. ContentGrip adds that Discovery+’s official homepage and pricing help page still showed the previous rates when it checked, so its figures rest on press reports and not on an official page. The DIRECTV page says the site listed the new rates as of Oct. 13. The Jolt Journal did not find a company announcement and recommends that subscribers confirm the rate in their own account.
What the merger may mean for Discovery+ subscribers
Android Headlines reports that Skydance is keeping its streaming services unchanged for now and that CEO David Ellison has said the company eventually plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+, with no date set. The DIRECTV page says the company has not said what happens to Discovery+ over the long term. Time Out reports that a bundle with HBO Max and Paramount+ is “likely,” but no timeline has been announced.
Until that changes, the Discovery+ price increase is the only confirmed change. Subscribers should not assume a bundle or a merged service will lower their bill.
What a Discovery+ subscriber can do about the price increase
The reported options fall into three groups: switch tiers, pause the service between seasons of favorite shows, or move to a service that carries similar programming. The numbers for each are below.
| Option | New cost | Change from keeping the plan all year |
|---|---|---|
| Keep ad-free all year | $143.88 | None |
| Switch from ad-free to the ad-supported plan | $83.88 | Saves $60.00 |
| Subscribe to ad-free for 3 months only | $35.97 | Saves $107.91 |
| Subscribe to the ad-supported plan for 3 months only | $20.97 | Saves $62.91 versus a full year on that plan |
The 3-month rows are an assumption for illustration, meant for viewers who watch a few seasons of a series a year. Actual savings depend on how long a viewer stays subscribed and whether the account is billed by Discovery+ or by a third party. The DIRECTV page does not say whether DIRECTV-billed Discovery+ subscribers are affected or how their billing changes, so that group should check with its provider.
The DIRECTV page also suggests alternatives. It says many popular Discovery+ shows are on HBO Max for people who already subscribe, though HBO Max does not carry the full Discovery+ library. It adds that people who watch Discovery, Animal Planet, HGTV and Food Network live or on a DVR may not need Discovery+ for new episodes. The Jolt Journal’s guide to streaming prices in 2026 lists what other major services cost.
Where the Discovery+ price increase fits in streaming costs
A $1 or $2 monthly change is small by itself, and it is easy to miss on a card statement. The combined effect of the Discovery+ price increase and similar changes elsewhere is larger for a household with several services. The Jolt Journal’s article on the Spotify Family Plan verification covers another subscription where terms changed for existing customers, and it shows the same pattern of changes that arrive on the next bill.
The reported 30 days of notice on the Discovery+ price increase gives subscribers a window to act before the first higher charge. Reviewing the plan in an account’s billing settings, confirming whether ads are acceptable and checking whether the shows being watched are on another service already paid for are the three steps that follow from the reporting.
Editor’s take
The Discovery+ price increase is modest in dollars and large in percentage terms, at 16.7% on the ad-supported plan and 20% on the ad-free plan. The reporting is consistent on the new prices and on the Nov. 12 billing date, and thin on official confirmation and on what the merger will do to the service. On the Jolt Journal’s numbers, the cheapest response is also the simplest: viewers who tolerate ads save $60 a year by switching tiers, and viewers who only watch a few seasons save more by subscribing for just those months. For everyone else, the added $12 to $24 a year is the price of keeping the library.
This is general information, not financial advice. Discovery+ and the subscriber’s billing provider have the final word on prices and billing dates.
