Rogers Streaming Hikes Show Cord-Cutting's 'Cheap' Promise Is Fading Fast
Sportsnet+, Citytv+ and Discovery+ are all getting pricier this fall, a preview of where U.S. streaming bundles may be headed next.
What’s changing
Rogers Sports & Media is raising prices across three of its Canadian streaming apps this fall, and the increases land hardest on sports fans who already stack multiple services to watch hockey, baseball and basketball.
Starting Sept. 22, 2026, Sportsnet+ Standard goes from $29.99 a month ($249.99 a year) to $34.99 a month ($269.99 a year) in Canadian dollars. The Premium tier, which adds more than 1,100 extra NHL games, rises from $42.99 to $44.99 a month and from $324.99 to $344.99 a year. The combined Citytv+/Sportsnet+ bundle climbs from $31.99 to $36.99 a month. Citytv+ on its own stays at $9.99 a month or $99 a year for now.
Discovery+, relaunched under Rogers after Warner Bros. Discovery shut down its earlier Canadian version, follows on Oct. 27: the ad-supported plan rises from $5.99 to $7.99 a month, and the ad-free tier from $8.99 to $9.99.
Why it matters for the bill
These are Canadian-dollar prices, so they don’t hit U.S. accounts directly. But the pattern is worth watching, because it’s the same one showing up stateside: streaming services that were pitched as a cheaper alternative to cable keep climbing anyway. Canada’s top streaming apps raised prices by an average of 7% in 2025, after an 8% jump in 2024, with forecasts pointing higher for 2026.
The real damage shows up when services stack. A Canadian household following a full slate of hockey, baseball and basketball already often needs Sportsnet+ plus TSN+ plus Amazon Prime. After these September increases, that three-service sports stack can push past $70 a month before tax on monthly plans, annualized, that’s roughly $840, in range of a basic cable-plus-sports package in some provinces. The “cheap alternative” cord-cutters were promised has quietly become a pile of smaller, rising bills instead of one predictable one.
Nearly half of Canadian households, about 48.5% by the end of 2025, have already dropped traditional TV, with that share projected to reach 57% by 2028. Total paid streaming subscriptions in Canada topped 38 million by the end of 2025, and streaming revenue is expected to pass traditional TV revenue by 2027.
Who pays more, who doesn’t
Sports viewers pay the most. Anyone using Sportsnet+ Standard or Premium, or the Citytv+/Sportsnet+ bundle, sees a direct increase on their next billing cycle after Sept. 22. Discovery+ subscribers on either tier take a smaller hit a month later.
Casual, entertainment-only viewers on Citytv+ alone are untouched for now, since that standalone price holds steady. Ad-supported subscribers also come out ahead relative to ad-free plans, ad tiers still run about 42% cheaper than ad-free equivalents, which is why more households are downgrading rather than canceling.
What to do about it
If you’re paying for Sportsnet+, Citytv+/Sportsnet+, or Discovery+, check your renewal date against these effective dates (Sept. 22 for Sportsnet+ and the bundle, Oct. 27 for Discovery+) and confirm the new charge on your statement or card. If sports isn’t a daily habit, weigh whether an annual plan locked in before the increase, or a shift to an ad-supported tier, saves more over a full year. For U.S. readers, the takeaway is the trend line, not the currency: streaming bundles keep creeping toward cable-era prices, so it’s worth auditing your own stack every few months rather than assuming the price you signed up at is the price you’re still paying.