Apple raises the monthly US price of Apple TV+ from $6.99 to $9.99, News+ from $9.99 to $12.99, Arcade from $4.99 to $6.99, and Apple One from $16.95 to $19.95

MacRumors 2023-10-26 Joe Rossignol

Context & Ripple Effects

Apple had already lifted TV+, Music and Apple One prices in 2022, tying that earlier move to higher licensing costs. This latest increase extends the repricing across TV+, News+, Arcade and the Apple One bundle rather than treating any one service in isolation.

The new TV+ monthly price matches the level Apple was reportedly considering before the service launched, while Apple One remains the mechanism for packaging several services into one subscription.

First-order effects

US subscribers to TV+, News+ and Arcade face higher recurring bills, while Apple One subscribers see its entry price rise from $16.95 to $19.95.
Apple resets the standalone-versus-bundle comparison: customers now have a stronger immediate reason to assess whether Apple’s earlier service-price increases and the current bundle still justify keeping multiple subscriptions.

Second-order effects

The increases make retention and plan switching more consequential for Apple, particularly among customers who subscribe to only one service or use Apple One mainly for a small subset of its offerings.
Rival streaming, news and gaming subscription services gain a clearer comparison point as Apple moves TV+ back to the $9.99 monthly price considered before its launch.

Third-order effects

If repeated across Apple’s services, the pattern shifts its subscription strategy from low introductory pricing toward periodic monetization of an installed base and bundled relationships.
Bundling becomes a more important lever for large platform operators: it can cushion standalone price increases, but also makes the value of each included service more visible to consumers.

The trend: Consumer-tech subscriptions are moving from launch-era pricing toward recurring price increases and bundles designed to protect revenue and retention.

Discussion

@bzamayo Benjamin Mayo on threads
I'd guess ad-supported Apple subscription tiers are coming sooner than I originally thought.
@dcseifert@mastodon.social Dan Seifert on mastodon
how much is Apple propping up the numbers of lesser wanted services like Arcade, News+, and Fitness+ by forcing you to get them with iCloud, Music, and TV+ for the best possible price?
@dcseifert@mastodon.social Dan Seifert on mastodon
the bummer here is... you're not getting anything more for these higher prices? it's not surprising to see TV+ go up, but is News+ going to get rid of those god awful programmatic ads now? highly doubt it
@dsilverman@mastodon.social Dwight Silverman on mastodon
Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and Apple News+ Receiving Price Increases - MacRumors — https://www.macrumors.com/... Arcade and News+ get their first price bumps. News+ is really a mess and not worth even the original price of $10 a month. …
@michaelrm.bsky.social Michael Mierendorf on bluesky
And just like that, my dependency on the Apple ecosystem may be altered. Will strongly consider going to Spotify family, and choosing just cloud backup for photos/ videos. [embedded post]
@epro.social Emil Protalinski on bluesky
I expect that regular price increases for services to be the norm until we get a recession. — Your best move is to cancel anything you don't use and only subscribe month-to-month when you need it. [embedded post]
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
if Apple TV, Netflix, and Disney+ keep raising prices then it will only force more people into piracy. It's already surprising how many in the UK use modified Fire TV sticks to access pirated TV shows and movies
@sdw Sebastiaan de With on x
@SnazzyLabs I thought this too but with top iCloud storage tier, Apple TV+ and Music you're already at that price anyway. Might as well keep Fitness and News.
@edludlow Ed Ludlow on x
@markgurman @TheTerminal Didnt't they raise services prices exactly this week one year ago too?
@nozzeoro @nozzeoro on x
@daringfireball “I'd have linked to the Apple Newsroom announcement of these price increases, but there's not a word about them there. Apple Newsroomis sort of a “good news only” company blog” https://daringfireball.net/...
@ballmatthew Matthew Ball on x
To be fair, the catalogue probably up as much since the last price increase. Plus Band of Brothers 3 next year, and Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon soon
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
Probably makes sense for Apple TV+ and Arcade. Makes no sense for News+ as people will just churn. Unless they're a part of Apple One (which most are, like me) and then it's fine, I guess.
@loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x
Yes, Apple likely wants more One subscribers, inflating total subscription numbers (see Disney+ Bundle!), help sell ad packages (potentially) and reduce churn across lower use services. But I would also imagine Apple's Services results in next week's report will be quite good.
@ballmatthew Matthew Ball on x
45% price hike for Apple TV+
@theregister @theregister on x
Apple jacks prices to juice profits because $19.3B a quarter isn't enough https://www.theregister.com/ ...
@rsgnl Joe Rossignol on x
I just took ⁦@sigjudge⁩'s advice and switched to annual billing for Apple TV+ before the price increase. I am stubborn about spending $89 (🇨🇦) all at once on this, but if I did nothing and let it continue monthly, it would have started costing me around $156 (🇨🇦) per year. [image…
@rjonesy Ryan Jones on x
Canceling Apple One today. Can't stomach price hikes on Arcade and News+. [image]
@snazzylabs @snazzylabs on x
Time to cancel my One Premier plan. Paying $30 to use Arcade, News, and Fitness+ occasionally wasn't too shabby given Apple Music and iCloud storage but now that it's nearly $40? Nah. A la carte for me.
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
Almost $40 a month for Apple One is too steep imo
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
Apple's price increases on the services make sense. The economics of running a digital newspaper/magazine/site has changed drastically since 2019. An increase makes sense, a $3 increase per month is fair. Apple Arcade continuously adds more games. An increase makes sense, a...
@rsgnl Joe Rossignol on x
Apple: “The subscription prices for Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and Apple One will increase in the US and select international markets beginning today. Existing subscribers will see these price increases 30 days later, on their next renewal date.”
@vadimyuryev Vadim Yuryev on x
Seems like Apple is trying to pull some moves right before a poor earnings report to prove to their investors that Mac sales will go up in Q4, as well as services revenue. What else will they price hike before earnings? lol
@carlquintanilla Carl Quintanilla on x
Just a little 43% jump.
@kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x
Apple wants you to pay more to not watch Jon Stewart
@rsgnl Joe Rossignol on x
NEW: Price increases for Apple services. In the U.S.: Apple TV+: $6.99 per month → $9.99 per month Apple Arcade: $4.99 per month → $6.99 per month Apple News+: $9.99 per month → $12.99 per month
@aaronp613 Aaron on x
Apple TV+: $6.99 per month → $9.99 per month Damn that's a big price hike
@playalotta Eric Bartolotta on x
AppleTV+ really is quality over quantity and was a great deal at $7 but not sure how they feel like they can keep gaining subs when they're increasing it $3
@mbrkhrdt Michael Burkhardt on x
Gonna be honest Apple TV+ isn't worth $10
r/apple r on reddit
Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and Apple News+ Receiving Price Increases
r/tvPlus r on reddit
Apple TV+ Receiving Price Increase. $6.99 to $9.99 a month.
r/tmobile r on reddit
Apple TV+ is increasing its price to $9.99. Will T-Mobile still cover this?

Chronicles