Streaming Prices Are Rising Faster in Western Europe Than Anywhere Else
New research puts Western Europe at the top of the streaming price-rise table — but there is another change happening underneath it.
Western Europe has taken the biggest streaming price hit
If it feels as though streaming subscriptions keep getting more expensive, new research gives that feeling some backing. Ampere Analysis says Western Europe has recorded the largest average streaming price increases of any region over the past three years.
Across the pricing changes studied, the average increase in Western Europe was $1.86, or 16%. That was ahead of North America at $1.70, or 15%, and Central and Eastern Europe at $1.68, or 18%.
There is an important twist, though. The increases are getting smaller. Streamers are still charging more, but the industry appears to be getting closer to the point where simply pushing subscription prices higher is no longer the easiest route to growth.
01 Western Europe Has Seen the Biggest Average Streaming Price Increases
Western Europe has recorded the largest average streaming subscription price increases in Ampere Analysis’s latest comparison of major services.
The research looks at pricing changes across Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video over the past three years. Western Europe came out on top with an average increase of $1.86, equal to 16% of the previous subscription price.
North America followed at $1.70, or 15%, while Central and Eastern Europe averaged $1.68. The percentage increase there was actually slightly higher at 18%, but the dollar increase was lower than in Western Europe.
Important: these are regional averages across price changes in the study. They do not mean every plan in every Western European country increased by exactly $1.86 or 16%.
02 Why Is Western Europe Being Hit So Hard?
There is not one simple reason. Streaming prices are set market by market, and platforms have to balance household income, competition, local content costs and how much subscribers are willing to pay.
Western Europe is also a mature streaming market. Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video are already familiar household services across countries including the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. For established services, there are fewer completely new households left to sign up than there were during the early streaming boom.
That changes the business problem. If subscriber growth becomes harder, platforms have to get more value from the viewers they already have.
Higher subscription prices
Raising the monthly fee increases revenue from existing subscribers, but only while customers are willing to keep paying.
Advertising
Lower-priced tiers with adverts give platforms another revenue stream without making the entry-level subscription too expensive.
Paid sharing and extra members
Password-sharing restrictions and paid extra-member options are another way to earn more from an established audience.
03 Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video Have Not Raised Prices in the Same Way
Ampere’s figures also show that the three major services have taken different approaches.
| Service | Average increase | Average percentage | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix | $1.73 | 16% | Price rises have remained comparatively steady. |
| Disney+ | $1.53 | 17% | Recent rises have become much more modest. |
| Amazon Prime Video | $1.47 | 30% | Fewer adjustments overall, reflecting Prime’s wider retail role. |
Netflix had the highest average dollar increase of the three at $1.73. Disney+ averaged $1.53, while Amazon averaged $1.47.
Amazon’s percentage figure is much higher because percentage changes depend on the starting price. It also cannot be read in exactly the same way as a standalone video subscription because Prime is sold as a broader membership with delivery and other benefits in many markets.
04 What Do the Big Streaming Services Cost in the UK Now?
The regional research does not provide one single UK price because each service has multiple tiers. Current UK pricing still shows how wide the gap has become between getting into a service cheaply and paying for the full ad-free experience.
| Service | Lower-cost option | Standard ad-free | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix UK | £5.99/mo with adverts | £12.99/mo | £18.99/mo |
| Disney+ UK | £5.99/mo with ads | £9.99/mo | £14.99/mo |
| Amazon Prime UK | £8.99/mo Prime membership | Prime Video includes limited ads | Ad Free is an optional monthly add-on |
Netflix currently lists its UK Standard with adverts plan at £5.99 a month, Standard at £12.99 and Premium at £18.99. Disney+ lists Standard with Ads at £5.99, Standard at £9.99 and Premium at £14.99 before any temporary promotional pricing.
Amazon currently lists a full UK Prime membership at £8.99 a month or £95 a year, with Prime Video included and limited advertisements in on-demand films and TV shows. Amazon also offers a separate monthly Ad Free option.
Streaming prices can change. The UK prices above were checked on 27 August 2026 against the services’ own UK pages.
05 Ad-Supported Streaming Is Changing the Price Strategy
One of the clearest findings in Ampere’s analysis is that ad-free and ad-supported subscriptions are moving apart.
Over the three years studied, ad-free plans increased by an average of $1.62. Ad-supported plans rose by a lower average of $1.21.
At the same time, the average global price gap between ad-supported and ad-free tiers widened from $4.53 in 2023/24 to $5.35 in 2025/26.
That makes business sense. A cheap plan with ads can still produce revenue from advertising, so the streaming company does not need to make all of its money from the monthly subscription fee.
It also gives viewers a much more obvious trade-off: pay less and watch ads, or pay noticeably more to remove them.
The cheapest tier is becoming a doorway
The ad-supported plan keeps the advertised starting price lower and makes it easier to attract price-sensitive subscribers.
Ad-free is becoming the premium choice
The bigger price gap increasingly turns removing adverts into a paid premium feature rather than the default streaming experience.
06 The Strange Part: Streaming Price Rises Are Actually Slowing Down
Western Europe topping the table makes streaming inflation sound as though it is accelerating. Ampere’s wider data suggests the opposite.
Across Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon, the average price increase fell from 24% of the previous subscription price in 2023/24 to 14% in 2025/26.
In dollar terms, the average increase slipped from $1.67 to $1.54.
Disney+ shows the shift particularly clearly. Ampere says its average increase moved from $1.86, or 31%, in 2023/24 to $1.45, or 13%, in 2025/26.
In other words, the industry has not stopped increasing prices. The increases are simply becoming more cautious.
That may be the biggest takeaway from the research: streaming companies still want more revenue per viewer, but there are signs they know subscribers have a limit.
07 What Does This Mean for Streaming Subscribers?
For viewers, the problem is not just one expensive subscription. It is the total cost of keeping several services active at the same time.
Netflix Standard at £12.99 and Disney+ Standard at £9.99 already come to £22.98 a month before adding Prime, NOW, Apple TV, sports subscriptions or any specialist services.
That is why the most useful response to streaming price rises is not necessarily finding one permanently cheap service. It is being more selective about which subscriptions stay active every month.
Rotate subscriptions
Keep the services you are actually watching and cancel those sitting unused. You can resubscribe when a show you want returns.
Check whether ad-free is worth the premium
The gap between ad-supported and ad-free pricing is getting wider. If you can tolerate adverts, the cheaper tier can make a significant difference over a year.
Do not judge value by the monthly price alone
A £6 service you barely use is worse value than a £13 service you watch every night. What matters is what you actually get from it.
08 Our Take: Western Europe May Be Nearing the Streaming Price Ceiling
Western Europe being the region with the highest average dollar increase is not great news for subscribers, particularly when many households now pay for several services rather than one.
But I would not read this research as evidence that every streaming service is about to start pushing through even bigger rises.
The more interesting trend is that the size of increases is shrinking while platforms build other ways to make money. Advertising, paid sharing, extra-member slots and premium tiers all reduce the need to rely on one blunt tool: putting up the monthly fee.
That does not automatically make streaming cheaper. It can simply make the pricing more complicated.
The old streaming promise was simple: pay one monthly price and watch without adverts. The modern version is becoming something else — a cheaper ad tier at the bottom, a much more expensive premium tier at the top, and more ways to pay in between.
My view: the next phase of the streaming price war is less about who has the lowest headline price and more about how much each service can charge before subscribers start cancelling, downgrading or rotating between apps.
The Guardian: Western Europe streaming price rises · Broadband TV News: Ampere pricing analysis · Netflix UK · Disney+ UK pricing · Amazon Prime UK
09 Frequently Asked Questions
