The Streaming Tax: Paying for Fights You Don't Watch

The "Cable 2.0" transition is officially here, and it arrives this Thursday, January 15, 2026. Paramount is raising prices across the board, and the justification is a classic page from the old cable playbook: forcing every subscriber to pay for expensive sports content regardless of whether they ever intend to watch it.

The New Math of Paramount Plus

Starting Thursday, the price for a standalone subscription is increasing for both tiers. While the monthly hike is a standard $1, the annual plans are seeing a much more aggressive jump.

• Paramount Plus Essentials: Increases to $9 monthly or $90 annually (up from $60).
• Paramount Plus Premium: Increases to $14 monthly or $140 annually (up from $120).

This isn't just a simple adjustment for inflation. Paramount is using these increases to help fund a massive $7.7 billion deal with the UFC. Starting this month, marquee fight cards that used to cost $80 on pay-per-view are being folded into the standard subscription for all members.

If you are a fight fan, it is a massive win. If you are not, you are simply paying a "UFC Tax" to keep the service you already had, regardless of which plan you choose.

The Walmart Plus Factor

For those of us using Walmart Plus to manage our streaming costs, the "bundle" is getting more expensive, too. While the ad-supported Paramount Plus Essentials tier is still included in the $98/year Walmart Plus membership, the "Plus Up" to get the Paramount Plus Premium plan has already crept up from $60 to $65/year.

For most cord-cutters, that Premium upgrade isn't a luxury; it's a necessity. It is the only way to get an ad-free experience and, more importantly, a live feed of the local CBS station.

Why It Feels Like Cable

The reason so many of us fled to streaming in the first place was to escape the forced bundle. We hated the idea of a $100 cable bill where a significant portion went toward sports channels we never turned on.

Streaming was supposed to be the "a la carte" solution. You want movies? Pay for Netflix. You want local news? Use an antenna. But by folding multibillion-dollar sports rights into every single tier, Paramount is recreating the exact same trap.

Whether you are on the base plan or the ad-free upgrade, you are now a financial partner in professional sports just so you can watch your shows and your local news. My Streaming Life is starting to look more like my old cable life every single day.