Latest news with #TedSarandos
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Streamer Subscription Prices And Tiers – Everything To Know As Costs Rise And Ads Abound (Hello, Peacock)
UPDATED with Peacock pricing. Peacocks may be flightless birds, but the NBCUniversal streaming outlet of that name is soaring to the top of the price rankings of ad-supported services, hiking the monthly cost of its Premium tier to $10.99 from $7.99. Time was, the ultra-competitive subscription streaming market gained traction over pay-TV by providing a content-rich alternative at a far lower cost to viewers. More from Deadline Ted Sarandos Defends Netflix's Tough Stance On Theatrical Releasing: 'We Are In The Subscription Streaming Business, And You Can See Our Results' Streaming Outlet CNBC+ Debuts On Roku And Apple TV Meghan Markle's Cooking Show Ranks #383, Topped By 'Suits' Reruns In Netflix's 2025 Ratings Prices have been rising sharply in recent months, however, a marked contrast to the days when Disney+ had no ads and cost just seven bucks a month. A recent report by research firm Antenna found that prices for both ad-free services and those with ads have risen on average more than 20% since 2023. Apple TV+, whose monthly price has doubled since it launched in 2019, might have been tacitly acknowledging the trend when it made the service free for the first weekend in January in a global promotion. RELATED: The surge in streaming has tracked inflation across the broader economy, which has seen the cost of groceries, gas and many other items climb at rates not seen in decades. It can be difficult to keep track of the going rates for the different streaming services – and doing so is even more complex now that most are offering both ad-free and ad-supported tiers. Netflix's Standard (ad-free) tier just jumped to $17.99 a month from $15.49, becoming the priciest major outlet, followed by Max's ad-free level at $16.99, followed by Disney+ at $15.99. (Netflix and Max also offer ultra-premium plans north of $20.) Most services have yearly subscription prices versus month-to-month, which can shave a few dollars off the price for those willing to commit for a longer period up front. Then there are bundles like one combining Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, or add-on options like Apple's recently launched offering with Prime Video. Internet-based packages like YouTube TV initially also promised a cable-like experience at a much lower cost. But YouTube just hiked its basic plan by $10, bringing its base-level subscription to $82.99. January's bump followed an $8 increase in March 2023. The new price for YouTube TV monthly now matches that of Disney's Hulu + Live TV package. For a rundown of the various subscription rates across the major streaming players, including prices for tiers with and without ads, read on. Apple TV+ Apple TV+ now costs $9.99 per month, after a step-up from $6.99 monthly in October 2023. The streamer's monthly subscription price has doubled since it first hit the market on November 1, 2019, at $4.99. That was at the low end of the streaming spectrum at the time, and reflected the service's lack of library programming and status as a tech pure-play disconnected from any traditional network or movie studio. RELATED: The streamer offered a week of free watching Jan. 4-5 ahead of the year so that viewers could check out its catalog, which contains shows like the Adam Scott-starring Severance, Season 2 of which arrived Jan. 17. The streamer then, in spring following the Severance finale and conclusion in March, offered new and returning subscribers a $2.99 per month deal for the first 3 months of a subscription, followed by $9.99 per month. RELATED: Disney+ With ads, a subscription to Disney+ costs $9.99 monthly. The no-ad tier costs $15.99 per month, or $159.99 annually. It costs $6.99 to add another member to Disney+ who is not within the same household, and it costs $9.99 for an additional Disney+ premium member. Disney+/Hulu Bundles Disney+ and Hulu have a Basic Bundle for $10.00 per month with ads for both streamers. Hulu and Disney+ have a Duo Premium Bundle costing $19.99 monthly with no ads on either platform. The Trio Basic bundle subscription, which includes Disney+ with ads, Hulu with ads and ESPN+ with ads costs $16.99 per month. The Legacy Bundle includes Disney+ without ads), Hulu with ads and ESPN+ with ads for $21.99 per month. The Trio Premium subscription — which includes Disney+ with no ads, Hulu with no ads and ESPN+ with ads — costs $26.99 per month. In July 2024, Disney+, Hulu and Max rolled out their bundle deal, which costs $16.99 per month with ads and $29.99 without. Hulu without ads + Live TV, Disney+ with no ads and ESPN+ with ads costs $95.99 per month. Live TV is like a cable add-on to streaming, and it comes in handy for watching sporting events. RELATED: Hulu On its own, Hulu with ads costs $9.99 monthly or $99.99 per year. Ad-free Hulu costs $18.99 per month. Hulu also has live TV plans that accompany the bundles with Disney+ mentioned above. For $82.99 a month, Hulu + Live TV includes the Trio Basic bundle at no extra cost. As of the new year, Disney has elected to combine Hulu + Live TV with Fubo, becoming the majority owner of the resulting merged company. This deal will settle all litigation between Fubo, Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery over the Venu Sports streaming joint venture, which was set for a hearing in New York the day the deal was made. Max – extra for sports, 3 – Ultra 4K Warner Bros. Discovery's merged streaming service with HBO Max dropped HBO from its name in 2023. With ads, the streaming service costs $9.99 monthly, or $99.99 yearly. The ad-free tier of Max costs $16.99 per month. The more premium subscriptions were raised over the summer by $1 over previous levels. There is a yearly ad-free plan, which increased by $20 to $169.99 per , and the monthly 'ultimate' ad-free plan, which includes extra logins in a household and select titles in 4K UHD with HDR10 or Dolby Vision, increased by $1 to $20.99 per month. The yearly 'ultimate' ad-free plan went up by $10 to $209.99. In April 2025, Warner Bros. introduced a $7.99 per month 'extra member add-on' profile for each account with its flagship streamer Max to curb password sharing. Netflix – U.S. plans Netflix set the tone for many of the streamers as one of the first in the game when it added streaming in 2007 as an add-on to its DVD-by-mail business. The standard plan without ads costs more than double what it did in 2011, with the company openly nudging customers toward the cheaper plan with ads by keeping those prices to less than half of the ad-free level. Standard with Ads: $7.99 Standard: $17.99 Premium: $24.99 The streamer is known for tentpoles like Squid Game, Stranger Things, Emily in Paris, Bridgerton, Outer Banks, Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, Hemlock Grove, Arrested Development, and more. It has recently added a lot of live sports and events, including WWE Raw and NFL games. RELATED: Paramount+ Paramount+ has two main plans from which to choose. The Paramount+ Essential plan, which includes commercial interruptions, costs $7.99 per month and $59.99 per year. The latest price hike took place in August 2024. Paramount+ with Showtime costs $12.99 per month and $119.99 per year. RELATED: Peacock Times have changed in the four-plus years since Peacock launched with an initial focus on its free, ad-supported basic tier. That plan was phased out by Year 2 and NBCUniversal went all-in on subscriptions. The Peacock Premium, which was $7.99 per month, jumped to $10.99 as of July 2025, or $109.99 per year plus tax. A small amount of programming on the streamer contains ads. The price went up $2 in April 2024. RELATED: Peacock's Premium Plus tier costs an extra $6 a month or $60 per year ($13.99 and $139.99) and is largely ad-free, though live sports and other programming does have ads. It also offers downloads as well as geo-targeted local station streaming. Prime Video Prime Video's subscription price is $8.99 per month without an Amazon Prime membership. Being a Prime member costs $14.99 monthly, or $139 annually, though the benefits go far beyond video and encompass free shipping, Whole Foods discounts and other perks. Students pay $7.49 monthly for Amazon Prime, or $69 yearly. Comcast's StreamSaver Bundle In May 2024, Comcast launched a bundle that offers Xfinity broadband customers Apple TV+, Netflix's ad-based tier and Peacock for $15 a month. RELATED: Add-On Channels Within the siloed streamers offering various content — sometimes exclusive and sometimes not — various platforms have made it possible to add channels from other streamers for an additional price. Roku, Apple TV and YouTube have channel stores, and cable operator Spectrum plans to integrate streaming services into its offerings. Other examples can be found below. Apple has recently struck a deal with Prime Video in the U.S. and other territories. Amazon launched Apple TV+ as a premium add-on to Prime Video, charging $9.99 per month in addition to a Prime Video subscription for the streamer's other content. After launching in October within the U.S., the add-on rolled out on Prime Video in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. The add-on subscription will cost $11.40 per month in the UK and $12.99 in Australia and Canada. With the subscription, Amazon customers will have access to all of Apple's scripted content, as well as Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball games. RELATED: Paramount+ is also an add-on with Prime Video. If you purchase a product or service through a link on our website, Deadline may receive an affiliate commission. Best of Deadline 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Netflix admits using Gen AI for one of its shows to cut costs
Netflix has used visual effects powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI) in one of its original TV shows for the first time, signaling the company's growing adoption of AI in content creation. During a call with investors last week, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealed that the Argentine series The Eternaut, which premiered in April, features 'the very first GenAI final footage to appear on screen in a Netflix, Inc. original series or film.' 'The creators wanted to show a building collapsing in Buenos Aires. So our iLine team which is the production innovation group within Scanline, Netflix's in-house visual effects studio partnered with the show's creative team using AI-powered tools,' Sarandos explained. 'That VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it would have been using traditional visual effects tools and workflows. And the cost of producing it through conventional means would simply not have been feasible for a show with that budget.' He emphasised that generative AI enabled the production team to deliver certain sequences faster and at a lower cost. However, the use of generative AI in content creation has sparked a mixed response in the entertainment industry. Critics argue that it can create content using others' work without their consent and fear it could replace human jobs. AI was a major point of contention during the 2023 Hollywood writers' strike. Under the new agreement, studios are prohibited from using AI to write or edit scripts that have already been written by a human writer. Sarandos previously stated that Netflix's use of generative AI will not interfere with its commitment to 'telling great stories.' Tools like OpenAI's Sora and Google's Veo 3 have intensified concerns in the industry, as they allow users to generate Hollywood-quality footage from simple text prompts raising fears about job security and creative livelihoods. Netflix has plans to introduce interactive ads powered by generative AI during shows and movies for ad-tier subscribers starting in 2026. The Eternaut is Argentina's most ambitious sci-fi series. The production is based on the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel The Eternaut (El Eternauta), written by Héctor G. Oesterheld and illustrated by Francisco Solano López. The comic was originally published in installments from 1957 to 1959, and later released as a single volume in 2015. When the show debuted earlier this year, The Eternaut quickly topped Netflix's global Top 10 for non-English-language series. It also broke into the overall Top 10 in several countries, including the US, Brazil, France, Germany, and Spain. A second season of The Eternaut has already been confirmed
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix slipped something new into your favorite show
For the first time, a hit Netflix show used something unusual to craft a final scene: AI. This new tax deduction in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' lets people cash in on charitable donations up to $2,000. Here's what to know Housing market 'red flare': Moody's chief economist sees home price declines spreading Ikea is launching new smart home products, and they're designed to be extra easy to use On its quarterly earnings call, the company's co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, highlighted the use of generative AI in the sci-fi series El Eternauta (The Eternaut), which debuted on April 30. The postapocalyptic series adapts an Argentine comic of the same name, following survivors of a toxic snowfall that blankets Buenos Aires. The scene in question shows a dramatic building collapse, a feat that Sarandos argues wouldn't have been in budget without leaning on AI. Sarandos says that Netflix's Eyeline Studios partnered with the show's creative team to incorporate 'virtual production and AI-powered VFX' into a final scene. 'Using AI powered tools, they were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed and in fact, that VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been completed with . . . traditional VFX tools and workflows,' Sarandos said. While El Eternauta might be Netflix's first foray into using AI to generate final footage, the tech-forward company likely already incorporates AI into other workflows. Netflix doesn't share Hollywood's AI worries Even as companies like Netflix embrace AI, many workers in Hollywood have major qualms with the technology. Concerns about AI in film and TV surfaced during the monthslong Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike in 2023, which sought to block AI from impacting writers' pay and training on their work. The actors' union SAG-AFTRA, which joined the WGA, also sought to protect actors from having their likenesses used without compensation. In spite of those misgivings, AI is already popping up in film and television, including at this year's Oscars. Both Emilia Perez and The Brutalist used AI to finesse actors' voices—a boon that boosted Adrian Brody's Hungarian accent and may have contributed to his best actor win. AI's detractors in Hollywood are as concerned as ever, but given its tech-industry mindset and Silicon Valley DNA, Netflix isn't squeamish. 'We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper,' Sarandos said. 'They're AI-powered creator tools. So this is real people doing real work with better tools.' This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter: Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What Meghan Markle's Netflix Show Ranking Really Says About Its Future
If you follow the television business, then you know it's been a rough ride for many streaming and network shows — Hollywood isn't for the faint of heart. That also means someone like Meghan Markle isn't immune to those highs and lows of the entertainment industry. On July 17, Netflix shared a revealing look at how its shows are doing in the first half of 2025 with its official Engagement Report, and it offered a realistic perspective into the Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan. More from SheKnows Prince Harry Finds an Unexpected Royal Ally Amid Family Rift - He's 'Suffered So Much' Per the report, Meghan's show ranked No. 383 with 5.3 million views after its March 4 premiere. In comparison to the streamer's most-watched shows, Adolescence, with 145 million views, Squid Games Season 2, with 117 million views, and Squid Games Season 3, with 72 million views. With Love, Meghan landed in 10th place in the Top 10 a week after its debut, but soon fell off the charts. The good news is that the Duchess of Sussex already has a confirmed Season 2 that will debut in the fall with guest Chrissy Teigen on the first episode. Still, the lifestyle show will have to better those numbers if Meghan's show wants to have a third season. Netflix's Engagement Report came out of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes for more transparency on how shows are doing on the streamers — and Meghan has a sobering look at where she needs to improve in the second season. Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, explained at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City in September 2024 why he prefers the new model of transparency. 'Put the number out there so that talent can see it, so that agents can see it, so that the press can see it, and know what's a hit and what's a miss,' he said, per Deadline. Even though Netflix has a partnership to distribute Meghan's As Ever products with her, her TV show will likely need to pick up a little more steam in the fall if she wants a renewal for Season 3. In tough economic times, Hollywood is always thinking about the financial bottom line. Before you go, click to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harry's milestones since leaving the royal family. Best of SheKnows 6 Sexy Celebrity-Owned Lingerie Lines, Made From Rihanna to Sofia Vergara 28 Lesbian Couples in Hollywood With Our Favorite Love Stories Every Single Look Kate Middleton Has Worn to Wimbledon Since 2007 Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
How Netflix plans to utilise AI in its TV series and films
Netflix has confirmed its first use of generative AI in a production, featuring in the Argentinian sci-fi series The Eternaut. Co-chief executive Ted Sarandos stated that AI was used to depict a building collapsing, achieving the visual effect ten times faster than traditional methods. Sarandos highlighted that AI helps creators make films and series better and cheaper, enabling complex effects even for productions with smaller budgets. The use of AI in film and TV has been a significant point of discussion, notably during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The actors' union secured crucial protections regarding AI technology in their November 2023 agreement with Hollywood studios.
