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Once the bargain alternative to pricey cable and satellite packages, the streaming landscape continues to grow in size – and cost. While some of the best streaming services continue to hike their prices, we’ve got your back, giving you the latest scoop on which service you can expect to pay more for in future.
Read below to find out which streamers are charging more in 2025 so far. And while it may seem like keeping up with your favorite shows is getting increasingly costly, you could always check out the best free streaming services out there, which will offer you a wealth of content for nada. Make sure to also check the best streaming deals in 2025 to save on your next subscription bill.
Is anyone else getting déjà vu? In July 2024, Peacock's second ever price increase took effect and just over a year later we're getting another. NBCUniversal's streaming service has announced that its biggest price hike ever will begin on July 23 for new and returning customers (meanwhile, existing subscribers can expect to see an increase in their bill from August 23 or their next billing date).
The price hike sees Peacock's 'Premium' (with ads) and 'Premium Plus' (limited ads) plans rise by $3 each to $10.99 and $16.99 per month, respectively. As some subscribers look to cancel their subscriptions ahead of the change, Peacock is looking to offer more affordable options by testing a new 'Select' tier that will cost the same as its ad-supported plan was priced before the most recent price hike.
We had almost gotten through March without seeing a streaming price hike announcement for video on-demand services until Plex decided to break that streak by raising its prices. This is the first price hike its made in a decade and will apply to each of its plans. That means that the monthly price for Plex Pass will go from $4.99 to $6.99, the annual price will rise from $39.99 to $69.99 and the Plex Lifetime Pass will more than double from $119.99 to an eye-watering $249.99.
The changes will take effect on April 29, 2025, which means that if you're already signed up to the Lifetime Pass you'll be able to stick to the old rate, which is prompting many users to consider signing up for it before the rise. In an even bigger blow, Plex is making the ability to stream your favorite streaming subscriptions between two separate networks no longer free. Instead, users will have to sign up to a Remote Watch Pass for $1.99 a month or $19.99 to have the remote streaming feature.
The live TV streamer has announced that all packages are set to creep up in price. Coming into effect for new subscribers on January 23, existing customers should look for the increase in their bill on, or after, February 10. Citing “rising costs from our production partners,” the service is adding $5 per month to all of its streaming plans. This will be particularly galling news for subscribers to the platform’s Essentials tier, which was only launched in September and replaced the bargain Starter option.
The new prices mean that both the Essential and Pro now cost $85.99 per month, while the Elite option is $94.99 ($104.99 w/ Sports Plus). Customers already using the Deluxe, Premier and Ultimate tiers are also looking at five bucks more, although these options are no longer available to new subscribers. There is good news for new customers though, as after a seven-day free trial, you get your first month $20 off. And if the price increase has you doubting your loyalty, you might want to look in to other live TV streaming services, such as Hulu or Sling.
The biggest streamer to announce things were getting pricier in 2025 was Netflix. The streaming giant announced on January 22 that it was raising prices, with the company stating: “As we continue to invest in programming and deliver more value for our members, we will occasionally ask our members to pay a little more so that we can re-invest to further improve Netflix.” It should be noted, at time of writing, the price increases only apply to subscribers in Argentina, Portugal and North America.
This means that in the US, the standard ad-supported plan will now cost subscribers $7.99, $1 more than it did previously. Standard without ads is up a buck and a half, now costing $17.99 while the premium tier is now $24.99, a $2 increase. If the price increase has you debating whether to keep the service, our list of the best Netflix movies and best Netflix shows might help your decision.
The other streamer already increasing its prices this year is Discovery Plus, with things set to get a little bit more expensive for US subscribers. The hike went into effect on January 7 for news subscribers, with Discovery saying it would renew at the new rates for existing customers “on your first billing date on or after February 7, 2025.”
Discovery Plus currently offers two tiers, both of which have increased by $1, with the ad-supported plan now $5.99, while it’s $9.99 to go ad-free. Of course, most of Discovery Plus’ content can also be accessed through Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship streamer Max – which is due to receive a global rollout in 2025 – and with plenty of new content arriving on Max in February, consumers may begin wondering whether to keep the stand alone streamer at all.
You might also like- HPE patched CVE-2025-37103 and CVE-2025-37102
- The former is a case of hardcoded credentials for an admin account
- The latter allows the execution of arbitrary commands as an admin
HPE has patched a critical-severity vulnerability in its Aruba Instant On Access Points which could have allowed threat actors to access the devices as an admin, change settings, deploy malware, and wreak havoc as they see fit.
Aruba Instant On Access Points are Wi-Fi devices designed for small businesses. They are advertised as easy-to-deploy devices offering fast, secure, and reliable wireless connectivity.
In a security advisory, HPE said it found hardcoded credentials in the device’s firmware, “allowing anyone with knowledge of it to bypass normal device authentication.”
No workarounds“Successful exploitation could allow a remote attacker to gain administrative access to the system,” the company added.
Now, the bug is tracked as CVE-2025-37103. It has a severity score of 9.8/10 (critical) and is apparently simple to find and exploit, especially for a skilled threat actor.
Unfortunately, hardcoded credentials are a common occurrence in modern software. Usually, during the production phase, software developers would add an admin account this way, for easy and convenient access.
However, these credentials should be removed before the product is shipped to the market, and when the DevSecOps team or the Application Security team fails, vulnerabilities like this one happen.
There are no workarounds to mitigate the problem, patching it is the only way to secure the access points, and thus the wider network, from attacks.
In the same advisory, HPE said it patched a second bug, an authenticated command injection vulnerability in instant on command line interface. This bug, tracked as CVE-2025-37102, allows remote threat actors with elevated privileges to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system as a highly privileged user. It was assigned a severity score of 7.2/10 (high).
For this vulnerability, too, there are no workarounds, and HPE advises users to apply the patch as soon as possible.
Via BleepingComputer
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- The next free update for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will be released on December 5, 2025
- The update adds two highly requested features, Third-Person Mode and New Game Plus
- Massive Entertainment has reworked animations, controls, audio, and camera systems to make Third-Person Mode work seamlessly
Massive Entertainment has announced that a new update for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will arrive later this year and add two new ways to play.
The free patch will be released on December 5, 2025, and introduce two new features that have been highly requested by players: Third-Person Mode and New Game Plus.
With Third-Person Mode, players will be able to play Frontiers of Pandora from a new perspective, which brings "a new sense of scale, freedom, and immersion" at the press of a button.
The studio has reworked animations, controls, audio, and camera systems to make for a seamless transition from the game's original first-person mode.
Meanwhile, New Game Plus will let players replay the game's story while keeping their inventory and skills, face higher-level enemies, and unlock a brand-new skill tree and stronger gear.
"We've always envisioned Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora as a living world that evolves with our players," said Omar Bouali, creative director at Massive Entertainment.
"This update is a celebration of our community's passion and we're thankful to our players for their support. It means the world to our team."
The next update follows two post-launch story packs, The Sky Breaker and Secrets of the Spires. However, Massive Entertainment has confirmed that this content is unavailable in New Game Plus.
- The Lenovo Legion Go 2 has leaked in China with prototype units reportedly available to buy on second-hand platforms
- The prototype seen in a Bilibili video isn't using the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme
- There's still no confirmation on a release date or what the finalized version of the handheld will be
It's been a while since we've had any updates on Lenovo's release plans or schedule for its next handheld gaming PC, since its announcement and brief showcase at CES 2025. Now, there's yet another twist in the tale, but not in the way you might expect.
As reported by VideoCardz, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 prototype has leaked in China, and units are rumored to be available for purchase on a second-hand platform, ahead of its official release. In a Bilibili video, it already has a brief teardown and showcase – and it's worth noting that the units appear to be missing the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor.
Instead, it's reportedly using the Ryzen Z2 processor, or at the very least the widely-used (yet older) Ryzen Z1 Extreme. This isn't surprising, since Lenovo has technically confirmed that there will be other configurations of the Legion Go 2, as it stated that "the prototype features up to the new AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor".
However, what is quite odd is the lack of transparency from Lenovo. The Legion Go 2 has been slated for a launch sometime in 2025, and it seems as though that may be around September, based on launch rumors for Mexico, but we've still not seen the device beyond its prototype, despite it apparently launching soon.
There is some very encouraging news, however, as the handheld will use an OLED PureSight touch display, and from what's showcased in the Bilibili video, it's a sight to behold combined with the 8.8-inch display size. While it will likely cost around $1,000, I think the OLED screen may just about justify it, pitting it against competitors like the Steam Deck OLED.
(Image credit: Future)Analysis: I'm still not willing to pay $1,000 for a handheld gaming PC, but a slightly lower price for the Legion Go 2 might be justifiedRegardless of how powerful these devices get as the best handheld gaming PCs on the market, I'll always find it very hard to recommend any one of them that hits the $1,000 mark.
I've had the same thought about the new MSI Claw 8 AI+ and the new MSI Claw A8 – but if any device comes close to potentially justifying it, it's the Lenovo Legion Go 2.
Again, it's still in prototype, so we don't have the full picture of what it will have at launch, hardware and ergonomics-wise. However, I'm willing to bet that the highest configuration will cost $1,000 due to the addition of an OLED screen, combined with the improved performance using the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme.
Now, I'm sure I won't be the first one to mention how unappealing that price point sounds, but it's possibly the only handheld that sounds like it might be worthwhile. I know other handhelds using OLED screens and powerful processors exist, but there's no world where you would ever find me recommending a handheld gaming PC that's over $1,500 (I'm looking at you, OneXPlayer).
If the Lenovo Legion Go 2 ends up being priced at or below the MSI Claw 8 AI+'s $899 / £899 / AU$1,799 price, then it instantly becomes an easier recommendation, especially up against the Steam Deck OLED or Nintendo Switch 2 – but again, it may still struggle to sell with a price that isn't affordable.
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