Does cord cutting REALLY save you money? It now costs $120 a month to subscribe to Netflix, Hulu and the other main streaming services – as platforms hike prices amid fierce competition

It now costs households more than $120 each month to subscribe to nine of the leading streaming services, with the vast majority increasing in price over the past year.

Analysis by DailyMail.com found that it would cost Americans $121.41 per month to subscribe to ad-free plans that include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Max, Peacock, Paramount+, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu and Britbox.

This amount could increase even more if households also signed up for other video streaming platforms, including ESPN+, NFL+ or YouTube Premium.

A 2022 study from market research firm Parks Associates found that a quarter of U.S. households subscribe to nine or more streaming services, while 50 percent have signed up for at least four streaming services.

And over the past year, increased competition has caused the prices of services to rise – in some cases by 43 percent – ​​putting increasing pressure on household budgets.

Subscribing to a range of streaming services has previously been seen as a more cost-effective alternative to cable TV, with costs potentially increasing when contracts and fees are taken into account.

But now that the era of cheap streaming appears to be coming to an end, cutting the cable cord completely may not actually save money.

The price of cable varies considerably by state – and can cost as much as $200 per month for a bundled package that includes TV, Internet and phone service.

But the average TV-only service costs about $83 per month, according to the latest data facts from CableTV.com.

As more and more streaming services flood the market, companies have had to raise their prices and adapt their business models in an effort to improve profitability.

In January 2023, it would have cost just over $100 a month to subscribe to the same nine major streaming services, an analysis by DailyMail.com found.

Eight of the nine major streamers increased their prices last year. Apple TV+, for example, has increased the price of its ad-free variant by a whopping 43 percent – ​​from $6.99 to $9.99.

Disney+, meanwhile, increased the price of its offering by 27 percent – ​​from $10.99 to $13.99.

Britbox, home to TV shows from Britain, added $1 per month to the price, bringing the commercial-free subscription cost to $8.99.

The vast majority of streaming platforms have increased in price over the past year – some by as much as 43 percent

Over the course of last year, Netflix cracked down on password sharing and eliminated its $9.99 per month ad-free subscription for new members. This means the cheapest plan without advertising now costs $15.49 per month.

It also increased its premium ad-free plan, which allows users to add two additional members from different households – from $19.99 to $22.99 per month.

However, Netflix, Max, Peacock, Paramount+, Disney+ and Hulu all sell subscriptions with commercials at a discounted price. Peacock and Paramount+ offer the cheapest plans on the market at $5.99 per month minus tax.

Last week, Amazon sparked outrage by announcing that it would start rolling out ads on Prime Video starting January 29 – and that users would have to pay an extra $2.99 ​​every month to avoid the disruption.

Currently, Prime Video is commercial-free and, among other things, is free for customers who subscribe to Amazon Prime for $14.99 per month.

Americans can also pay for Prime Video alone for $8.99 per month, so the ad-free version will apparently cost almost $12 per month once the change is made.

As more and more streaming services flood the market, companies have had to raise their prices and adapt their business models in an effort to improve profitability.

However, some of the leading streaming services do offer the option for a bundled subscription as a way to reduce cost pressure for households choosing different platforms.

Disney+'s ad-free premium offering costs $13.99 per month, and Hulu's ad-free plan costs $17.99 per month.

But both providers, in addition to sports streamer ESPN+, offer various combination deals.

For example, users can purchase the Disney Bundle Duo Premium, which includes Disney+ without ads and Hulu without ads, for just $19.99 per month, a savings of $11.99.

Or the Disney Bundle Trio Premium offering – which costs $24.99 per month – includes Disney+ without ads, Hulu without ads, and ESPN+ with ads.