Deja vu? Paramount+ getting a price increase early 2026 as UFC leaves ESPN

There are only four more Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events left on the ESPN deal — including this weekend’s stacked UFC 322 card — before the biggest fight promotion in the world moves to Paramount+ in Jan. 2026.

When the deal was first announced, fans were thrilled. Paramount+ offered two affordable options: the Essential plan at $7.99 per month ($59.99 annually) and the Premium plan at $12.99 per month ($119.99 annually).

And sure enough, it isn’t.

Today, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison confirmed to investors that Paramount+ will raise its prices in the first quarter of 2026. The exact increase hasn’t been revealed.

“Our ongoing investments in Paramount+ are enhancing the value we deliver to consumers. To support this continued investment, we plan to implement price increases in the U.S. early in the first quarter of 2026,” Ellison said in a third-quarter earnings letter to investors. “These changes will fuel continued reinvestment in the user experience and deliver an even stronger slate of programming for our customers in the year ahead and beyond.”

“By removing the secondary pay-per-view paywall – historically a key barrier for UFC fans – we’re making these premium events available to every Paramount+ subscriber at no additional cost. We’re excited to deliver this exceptional value with the cost of an annual subscription to Paramount+ being less than just one UFC pay-per-view event under prior distribution,” Ellison concluded. “We’re confident that greater accessibility will lead to significant incremental subscriber growth and greater engagement across our platform, creating long-term value for both us and the UFC.”

If we had to guess, Paramount+ will likely land around $9.99 per month for its first price hike — and hopefully, its lasts for a while (fingers crossed).

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.