Bell Media’s streaming service Crave has raised the price of its top subscription tier.

The Premium Ad-Free plan is now priced at $22, up $2 from the previous price point of $19.99.

The price increase is now in effect for new subscribers, and will impact existing subscribers as of March 7, a spokesperson for Bell Media told Playback Daily in a statement.

“Unlike other streamers, this is the first time Crave has widely increased the price of a premium subscription since 2018,” said the statement.

Crave’s content offering, and investment in original and acquired programming, has increased “significantly” with the addition of Crave originals such as Canada’s Drag Race, Shoresy (pictured), and Billionaire Murders; content from its Warner Bros. Discovery deal, such as Max originals and film franchises such as the DC Universe and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter; and more than 11,000 hours of French-language content.

The spokesperson added that the “price increase also allows us to continue to evolve the Crave product experience, and deliver Crave on major consumer platforms.”

The Basic with Ads and the Standard with Ads tiers, which were launched last year, remain unchanged at $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Bell Media reported a 26% increase in digital revenue in its Q3 2023 report, which was attributed to direct-to-consumer (DTC) growth and increased advertising. The report said Crave subscription grew by 13% over the previous year, with total subscribers hitting 3.1 million. Overall media revenue, however, declined by 1.3% to $710 million, attributed to lower year-over-year advertising revenue.

Photo courtesy of Bell Media