AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Ars Technica, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

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Skydance is raising prices for Discovery+, with ad-free plans increasing from $10 to $12 per month and ad-based plans rising from $6 to $7. These changes apply immediately to new subscribers, while existing customers will receive thirty days’ notice before the increase takes effect, starting with bills issued as of November 12. The pricing adjustments follow a week after Paramount Skydance acquired Discovery+’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), creating the new media conglomerate Skydance.

A Skydance spokesperson told Ars Technica that these price changes were already planned before the merger closing and were not anticipated as part of the deal. The spokesperson explained that prices are regularly evaluated to match the content and experience offered by the service. Discovery+ has raised its rates three times since launching in 2012, with the most recent increase occurring in January 2025 when ad-based subscriptions went from $5 to $6 and ad-free plans from $9 to $10.

Discovery+ is a smaller streaming venture for WBD compared to its flagship service, HBO Max, though it has been profitable since at least 2023 with low cancellation rates. In a February earnings call, JB Perette, WBD’s CEO and president of global streaming and games, confirmed the service’s profitability and described it as "a tremendous opportunity" with "a lot more ahead for us." While WBD previously stated Discovery+ had 24 million subscribers in 2022, no further details on current subscriber counts or profitability have been provided. Skydance has announced plans to eventually combine its direct-to-consumer services, including Paramount+, HBO Max, and Discovery+, into a single platform over time.