Streaming news roundup: Peacock raises its prices right as football season arrives

Peacock raised the price of every plan this week, its fourth increase in four years, just as it becomes a bigger home for live sports. The catch for fans: the cheapest tier carries no sports at all. Plus, the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger fight entered a new phase, settling in for a long court battle.

The gist: The timing is not subtle. Days before the football season ramps up, Peacock raised prices across all of its plans, the same month it's leaning into live sports harder than ever. If you want any of those games, the cheapest Peacock tier won't cut it. Here's what changed, how it fits a broader pattern of climbing sports bills, and where the CBS-TNT merger fight stands now.

Peacock raised prices on every plan

As of Tuesday, August 18, all three Peacock tiers cost more. The ad-supported Premium plan went from $10.99 to $12.99 a month, the Premium Plus plan (which drops the ads) from $16.99 to $19.99, and the entry-level Select tier from $7.99 to $8.99. Annual plans rose too, by as much as $30 a year on Premium Plus. New and returning subscribers pay the new rates now; existing subscribers will see them on their next billing date on or after September 17.

It's Peacock's fourth price increase in four years. The service recently turned its first-ever quarterly profit, with about 48 million subscribers.

The catch for sports fans

The timing matters because Peacock has quietly become one of the busiest sports streamers. It's the streaming home of NFL Sunday Night Football, it's carrying more than 100 NBA games this coming season (every NBC and NBCSN game streams there), and it's now the home of MLB's Wild Card round, including the first playoff games ever available only by streaming.

Here's the part to watch: the cheapest tier, Peacock Select ($8.99), does not include live sports at all. To stream any of those games, you need Premium ($12.99) or Premium Plus ($19.99). So for sports fans specifically, the real entry price just moved from $10.99 to $12.99, a week or two before the games that matter.

It's part of a bigger climb

Peacock is far from alone. Nearly every major streaming service has raised prices in the last two years, including Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV, Paramount+, and YouTube Premium, as the industry shifts from chasing subscribers to turning a profit. If your monthly streaming total keeps creeping up, this is a big part of why; we broke down the forces behind it in why your streaming bill keeps climbing.

One bit of relief is coming later: Peacock's Premium plan will be included with YouTube Premium in the U.S. starting in early 2027, so some subscribers will effectively get it bundled.

Quick hit: the CBS-TNT merger fight digs in

The antitrust battle over Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery entered a new phase this week. Fact discovery, the evidence-gathering stage where both sides exchange documents and take depositions, began Monday, August 17, with the case now pointed toward a trial in March 2027. Paramount has been escalating in the meantime, reportedly seeking a $1.88 billion bond from the states suing it while pressing them to settle.

What it means for you: nothing changes soon. The merger that would put CBS Sports and TNT Sports under one owner stays on hold, and a resolution is likely many months away. We covered the earlier hint of a settlement thaw here.

Not sure which of this week's games you can already watch? StreamCaddy maps the cheapest correct way to watch all of your teams and events for your exact location and subscriptions.

Sources

1. Variety — "Peacock Raises Prices Across All Plans, NBCU's Fourth Increase in Four Years" (Premium to $12.99/month from $10.99, Premium Plus to $19.99 from $16.99, Select to $8.99 from $7.99; Premium and Premium Plus include NFL Sunday Night Football, the NBA, WNBA, Premier League, and college sports, while Select excludes live sports; fourth increase in four years), August 18, 2026 — https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/peacock-raises-prices-fourth-time-in-four-years-1236837016/
2. TechCrunch — "Peacock is raising prices across all of its streaming plans" (new pricing effective August 18 for new and returning subscribers, next billing date after September 17 for current ones; Peacock's first profitable quarter with 48 million subscribers; Premium plan coming to YouTube Premium in the U.S. in early 2027), August 18, 2026 — https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/18/peacock-is-raising-prices-across-all-of-its-streaming-plans/
3. Deadline — "Peacock Hikes Prices Across All Subscription Plans" (annual prices also rising: Select to $89.99 from $79.99, Premium to $129.99 from $109.99, Premium Plus to $199.99 from $169.99; Select includes NBC and Bravo shows and library content but no movies, sports, or Peacock originals), August 18, 2026 — https://deadline.com/2026/08/peacock-raises-prices-across-plans-1237044536/
4. Cord Cutters News — "Peacock's 2026-27 NBA Slate Features 100+ Games" (NBC Sports will air more than 100 NBA games across NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN, with every game streaming live on Peacock), August 2026 — https://cordcuttersnews.com/
5. Deadline — "Parties Lay Out Key Discovery And Other Dates For Pending Paramount-WBD Antitrust Trial" (joint case management statement from 12 state attorneys general and the Writers Guild versus Paramount and WBD; fact discovery proposed to begin August 17 and close January 8, 2027, ahead of a March 2027 trial), August 13, 2026 — https://deadline.com/2026/08/paramount-warner-bros-trial-schedule-1237033223/
6. Deadline — "Paramount Demands $1.8B From AGs For Costs Of Antitrust Suit Over WBD Merger" (Paramount filed paperwork seeking a $1.88 billion bond from the plaintiffs amid its push for settlement talks), August 17, 2026 — https://deadline.com/2026/08/paramount-merger-antitrust-suit-bond-1237043023/