Discovery+ is raising its US monthly prices to $6.99 with ads and $11.99 for its Ad-Free plan, giving families another subscription bill to reconsider after the creation of Skydance.
“We couldn’t be more excited to get to work,” said David Ellison as Skydance’s chairman and CEO in the company’s Oct. 6 merger announcement, a week before the price increase.
That enthusiasm now sits alongside a more practical question for viewers: When does my bill change? Discovery+ began charging new subscribers the higher rates on Oct. 13, while current customers have a later timetable.
According to the service’s official price-change notice, existing subscribers billed directly or through an app store will automatically renew at the new price on their first billing date on or after Nov. 12. Applicable taxes come on top of the advertised monthly amount.
The increase adds $1 to the ad-supported plan and $2 to Ad-Free. Subscribers with promotional discounts will keep their promotional price until that period ends, so not every household will see the increase at the same time.
Related: Discovery+ Adds Mature Content as Streamers Battle for Subscribers
There is another important wrinkle if Discovery+ appears inside a different subscription. Customers billed through providers such as Amazon Prime Video Channels, DIRECTV, the Roku Channel or Sling TV should follow that provider’s notice about any applicable price changes, rather than assuming the direct-billing timetable applies.
The timing puts the increase close to a major ownership change. Paramount completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on Oct. 6, forming the combined company Skydance and bringing Discovery’s television brands under the same corporate roof as Paramount’s properties.
But timing is not proof that the new owner devised this particular increase. Variety reported that the change had been planned several months before the merger closed, citing a source familiar with the situation.
The standalone service remains a destination for programming from networks including HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Discovery, Animal Planet and Magnolia Network. Deadline noted that Discovery+ has remained a separate service since its 2021 launch.
For a household that mainly wants cooking competitions or home-renovation shows, that narrower offering may be the attraction. Variety reported that a subset of Discovery+ programming also appears on HBO Max, making it worth checking where the particular shows your family watches are available before paying for overlapping subscriptions.
If you are unsure who sends the bill, Discovery+ directs subscribers to open their profile, choose Account and look under Subscription. That section identifies app-store billing, direct billing or an outside provider, which helps determine whose instructions to follow.
For families reviewing the entertainment budget, start with the actual renewal date and any discount still attached to the account. Then compare the shows you genuinely watch with the subscriptions you already have — the new monthly price matters more when it is paying for something nobody turns on.
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