It was a good ride while it lasted, those who’ve been paying less for grandfathered-in Philo live-TV streaming plans will soon be facing price hikes.
Starting on October 3, subscribers to Philo’s $16 per month and $20 per month legacy plans will see their monthly rates rise to $25 a month, according to an email sent to Philo subscribers.
The email, which was signed by Philo CEO Andrew McCollum, said that legacy subscribers will gain access to one year unlimited DVR functionality as part of the price hike.
In the message, McCollum noted that Philo had never hiked prices on its existing subscribers or “forced them to upgrade” prior to October’s slated price increase.
“Unfortunately, the trust is that we lose money on our oldest plans, and have for some time,” McCollum said in the statement. “We’ve done what we can to absorb those costs out of loyalty to our subscribers. But in order to deliver on our values, we have to build a sustainable business, so we’re making changes to some of our subscription plans.”
Contacted by TechHive, a Philo rep confirmed the price hike for legacy plans.
As noted by The Streamable, Philo closed its old $16 a month plan to new subscribers back in 2019, but had allowed existing subscribers to stay on at the same price.
The new $25 per month Philo plan for legacy subscribers will still be cheaper than Philo Core, the streamer’s standard tier.
Both plans offer access to roughly 70 live streaming channels, including A&E, Animal Planet, BET, SMT, Comedy Central, Discovery, Food Network, The Hallmark Channel, HGTV, History, HSN, MTV, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr., OWN, QVC, TLC, TV Land, VH1, Vice, and WeTV. Thousands of on-demand titles are also on tap.
That said, those who stick with the legacy Philo subscription won’t get a key Philo Core perk: access to the ad-supported version of AMC+, a bundle that includes Shudder, Sundance Now, IFC Films Unlimited, and The Walking Dead Channel.
Besides its core channel lineup, Philo offers add-ons for STARZ ($11 a month), MGM+ ($7 a month), Hallmark+ ($8/month), and ad-free AMC+ ($4/month), among others.
Philo also serves up more than 110 free streaming channels plus the use of a 30-day cloud DVR for no charge.
