The start of a new year of streaming brims with anticipation for all the great things you’ll watch. You could get hooked on an underrated show, binge the return of a favorite or stream a new Oscar Best Picture winner from your couch. Envisioning upcoming entertainment is better when you don’t factor in how the price to watch it could change — and already is.

2026 has already brought increases to services you might use to stream shows, movies, music and live TV, such as Paramount Plus, Spotify and Sling. Streamflation or not, you probably aren’t going to take a total break from streaming this year, so we’re tracking every price rise from 2025 onward. If you hit your spending limit, you can cancel, rotate services or scout for discounts. 

2026 Streaming Price Hikes

Crunchyroll (February 2026) 

The anime streaming service Crunchyroll announced a price hike on Feb. 2, including an increase to its entry-level Fan subscription for the first time since 2019. Crunchyroll shut down its free, ad-supported tier about a month earlier.

With the increase, which is in effect for new customers and starts March 4 for existing customers, Crunchyroll’s ad-free plans now cost $10 per month for Fan, $14 for Mega Fan and $18 for Ultimate Fan — a $2 increase across plans.

Amazon Music (February 2026)

Amazon Music Unlimited Individual plans recently rose to $13 per month (or $12 per month for Prime members — both $1 bumps). Family plans increased by $2 to $22 per month. Prices went into effect Feb. 3 for new customers, and current subscribers will pay more on or after March 5. Amazon Music Unlimited also adjusted prices in 2025.

Paramount Plus (January 2026)

If you missed Paramount Plus’ mid-January price increase, it might be because the details emerged two months earlier, in November 2025. When the hike did arrive, it brought ad-supported Essential from $8 per month or $60 per year to $9 per month or $90 per year. Paramount Plus‘ ad-free version, Premium, rose from $13 per month to $14 and $120 per year to $140. 

Spotify (January 2026)

Spotify added to the price hike pile with its announcement on Jan. 15. The updates included a $1 bump to the Premium Individual plan, effective right away for newbies, and in February for existing subscribers. The prices increased for Individual to $13 per month, Premium Duo to $19, Premium Family to $22 and Premium Student to $7.

Sling TV (January 2026)

Live TV streaming service Sling changed rates on its Blue packages in some regions. It’s increased in markets where at least one local ABC, Fox or NBC station is available. Blue now costs $9 extra (up from $5) if you have all three locals, and $4 extra (up from no charge) if you have one or two. While newcomers saw the change in January, existing customers won’t be affected until their billing date on or after Feb. 20.

2025 Streaming Price Hikes

HBO Max (October 2025) 

HBO Max raised prices on Oct. 21, right around the launches of new series It: Welcome to Derry and I Love LA. The ad-supported basic tier rose by $1 to $11 per month, and the ad-free Standard tier increased by $1.50 to $18.50 per month. The ad-free Premium tier jumped $2 to $23 per month. 

The hike affected new customers immediately and existing customers on their first billing cycle on or after Nov. 20. Disney streaming increases took effect the same day, hiking the price of HBO Max, Hulu and Disney Plus bundles.

Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Select, Hulu Plus Live TV (October 2025) 

The most monster hike of 2025 probably belonged to Disney. Its increases extended to standalone Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Select plans, as well as bundle plans and Hulu Plus Live TV plans. Notably, ad-free Hulu and the ad-free Disney Plus and Hulu bundle didn’t see a hike. The changes went into effect on the same day as HBO Max’s increase — Oct. 21 — applying to existing customers on or after that date.

DirecTV (October 2025)

Price increases may have affected DirecTV customers’ bills on or after Oct. 5, according to a support page that instructs customers to sign in to learn more. A DirecTV representative told CNET that the company was communicating the update directly to customers and did not have a breakdown to share.

Philo (September 2025)

On Sept. 30, the budget live TV streamer Philo increased the price of its Core plan and added access to ad-supported HBO Max and Discovery Plus. Its subscription price rose by $5 to $33, with existing Core customers paying more on or after Oct. 30.

Apple TV (August 2025) 

Before its rebrand to Apple TV, the streamer formerly known as Apple TV Plus got a $3 hike on Aug. 21. The ad-free service now costs $13 per month. 

Peacock (July 2025)

The ad-supported and ad-free versions of Peacock rose $3 in July, bringing Premium to $11 per month and Premium Plus to $17 per month. Peacock also began testing a new $8-per-month Select tier with current seasons of NBC and Bravo shows. Annual plans increased by $30, and changes took hold for current customers on or after Aug. 22. 

Netflix (January 2025)

It’s been more than a year since Netflix last raised prices. The popular streaming service updated the price of its ad-based plan in 2025 for the first time since its 2022 launch — increasing it by $1 to $8 per month. The streamer also increased its ad-free Standard plan by $2.50 to $18 per month, and upped its ad-free Premium plan by $2 to $25 per month.

Streaming Price Decreases

Fubo (January 2026)

A much less common occurrence in the streaming world, Fubo initiated some price cuts amid its carriage dispute with NBCUniversal. Fubo reduced its Pro and Elite monthly subscriptions by $11 to $74 and $84, respectively, with existing customers paying less on or after Jan. 1. Here’s more on the dispute and loss of NBCUniversal channels from Fubo.

• SSHStalker uses IRC channels and multiple bots to control infected Linux hosts
• Automated SSH brute-forcing rapidly spreads the botnet through cloud server infrastructures
• Compilers are downloaded locally to build payloads for reliable cross-distribution execution

SSHStalker, a recently discovered Linux botnet, is apparently relying on the classic IRC (Internet Relay Chat) protocol to manage its operations.

Created in 1988, IRCwas once the dominant instant messaging system for technical communities due to its simplicity, low bandwidth needs, and cross-platform compatibility.

Digital transformation has become an imperative. Companies throughout the US economy are in an all-out race to automate their workplaces, for all sorts of reasons: Labor is getting more expensive while robots are getting better and cheaper; real wages have been flat for years so companies are hiring less and machines more; and workers across multiple industries want machines alongside them, as a way of making their jobs (and joints) less painful. But in the quest for building the optimal automation stack, leaders are often left with a single important question:

Should we invest in RPA, BPM, or iPaaS — or all three?

It is important to know these differences before choosing an appropriate solution. Today, we unpack RPA, BPM and iPaaS in plain language — with facts and trends — so you can call your own shots.

First, Let’s Understand the Core Technologies

The global market for RPA software has grown into the double digits year over year, and this remained true even as organisations continued to automate back-office operations, according to Gartner. Many firms are teaming up with RPA services to fast-track the implementation process with enterprise-grade control.

RPA works best when:

● Tasks are repetitive and rule-driven

● Data is structured

● Systems lack APIs (legacy applications)

● Quick ROI is required

“RPA is, however, task-level automation — not full process optimisation.

2. What is BPM?

Business Process Management (BPM) is from a design, monitoring and reconfiguration perspective the whole workflow. Rather than automating discrete tasks, BPM enhances the entire process life cycle.

For example:

● Employee onboarding

● Insurance claims processing

● Loan approval workflows

BPM solutions offer visibility, governance, compliance and control tracking, as well as workflow orchestration. If RPA is the “worker,” then BPM is the “manager” overseeing the entire operation.

BPM practitioners see improved efficiency, shorter cycle times, and better compliance in the context of regulated industries.

3. What is iPaaS?

iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) is a cloud-based integration model that links applications, data and devices with connectors and APIs. It guarantees instant data synchronisation between those solutions and other systems (CRM, ERP, HRMS, cloud applications).

If you are a company that’s working with multi-cloud or hybrid solutions, iPaaS is an absolute must.

Being a backend data layer integration tool, and not operating at the user interface level like RPA, iPaaS is far more stable and scalable for long-term integration needs.

Key Differences at a Glance

Why Businesses Are Moving Toward Hyperautomation

The future of automation isn’t a question of picking one tool. It’s about combining them strategically.

This combination is known as hyperautomation – combining RPA, BPM, iPaaS and AI with analytics in a cohesive system.

The hyperautomation market is anticipated to expand substantially until 2030, as businesses increasingly require intelligent and scalable automation solutions, industry estimates say.

A good hyperautomation company generally assists companies to model multi-layered architectures where:

● BPM manages workflows

● iPaaS handles system integration

● RPA automates individual tasks

● AI enhances decision-making

This is orchestration that provides measurable ROI and long-term scalability.

When Should You Choose RPA?

RPA is ideal when:

● You want to make quick wins with minimal changes in infrastructure

● You do similar finance or HR jobs repeatedly

● For legacy systems, you will require the automation

● You want to do cheaper operations fast

Many companies kick off their automation journey with RPA services to eliminate manual roadblocks in for example finance and operations.

But RPA just might not scale well enough on its own, without tying in and orchestrating workflow.

When Should You Choose BPM?

Choose BPM if:

● You really want to see everything that’s happening in workflows

● Compliance and auditable trails are very essential.

● Processes involve multiple departments

● Continuous optimisation is required

BPM solutions empower you to redesign and automate inefficient workflows. This protects against the common pitfall of “automating broken processes”. 

When Should You Choose iPaaS?

Choose iPaaS if:

● You use multiple SaaS applications

● Real-time data flow is essential

● API-driven architecture is available

● You want scalable cloud integration

iPaaS lets you rely less on UI-based bots and provides more durable backend integrations.

The role of Low-Code and Test Automation

Modern automation stacks are helped alongside low-code and no-code application development platforms. Therefore with these types of tools, business teams can genuinely create workflows and apps without deep coding skills, further fueling digital initiatives.

Plus, collaborating with such providers who deliver the top test automation services ensures that your automation scripts, along with integrations and workflows are consistent even as systems change over time. Testing is key because poorly controlled automation systems can be broken by UI changes, API updates or workflow adjustments.

How to Build Your Automation Stack (Step-By-Step Framework)

Here’s a basic expert framework to guide you in the decision:

Step 1: Identify Your Bottleneck

Are we actually faced with task repetition, that is lack of efficiency or division within the system?

● Task problem → RPA

● Workflow problem → BPM

● Integration problem → iPaaS

Step 2: Assess Technical Environment

● Legacy systems → RPA shines here

● systems with an API → iPaaS is awesome

● Complex cross-functional processes → BPM is necessary

Step 3: Plan for Scalability

Avoid building isolated automation silos. Integrate technologies in an organised automation infrastructure.

This is one of the reasons that companies frequently partner with providers who bring additional RPA Services to the table with an IR group that speaks BPM and integration frameworks design.

Real-World Example

Picture a health care provider sifting through thousands of insurance claims.

● BPM designs the claims workflow

● RPA pulls data from the old systems

● iPaaS consolidates CRM, billing and compliance systems

● Automated tests guarantee that workflows work without interruption

The result:

● Faster processing time

● Reduced manual errors

● Improved regulatory compliance

● Better patient experience

What are the Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Automating without process redesign

2. RPA only without integration

3. Ignoring governance and testing

4. Not planning for long-term scalability

An organisation with RPA Services ensures that these pitfalls are avoided.

Final Thoughts: What’s the Best Option?

RPA vs BPM vs iPaaS: No clear winner.

The correct answer will vary based on your business goal, technical ecosystem and long-term strategy.

If you can’t afford to wait for efficiency gains, open with RPA.

If you need additional governance and optimisation, do BPBM.

If you want to make data communications seamless, put some money into iPaaS.

If you want to transform at an enterprise level, that’s when you choose hyperautomation.

The most successful organisations view automation as a strategic capability, and not just another investment in technology.

Together with RPA, BPM, iPaaS, low-code platforms and powerful test frameworks in place this will allow your business to create a strong automation ecosystem which brings measurable ROI and power for sustainable growth. 

If you have your eye on a career in the robotics industry, consider upping your skills via a convenient online or in-person learning platform.

The robotics sector is fast emerging as one of Ireland’s most creative, dynamic and quickly changing spaces. We have innovators such as Clionadh Martin, Clara Mulliagan, Niamh Donnelly and Adam Dalton transforming robotics and inspiring others to follow suit.

But to match their careers, you have to start at the beginning. Although it can be beneficial to get an early start, many people’s route would be through exposure to post-secondary school education, be it online courses, higher education, further education and training or other skill development opportunities. 

Alison

Online learning platform Alison is running a free Understanding Robotics Architecture course. The website states that participation will improve a student’s understanding of robotics architecture, starting by addressing the degrees of freedom a robot may have. Students will look at robot anatomy, with an emphasis on the joints and links of a manipulator, be taught configurations for industrial robots and the characteristics of the Scara robot, and will also study the DH algorithm and direct forward kinematics.

The course is available entirely online, can be completed in roughly three to four hours and comes with a certificate of achievement upon completion. 

ATU

For those looking for a longer educational experience, Atlantic Technological University (ATU) – which has multiple locations in Galway, Sligo, Donegal and Mayo – has a four-year Robotics and Automation course, as part of the Bachelor of Engineering programme. This on-site level 8 course is full-time, available in Sligo and offers work placement.

During this programme, students will learn how to analyse and design, build prototypes, and control the machines and processes that are found in the biomedical, automotive, food processing and high volume manufacturing sectors, among other skills.

ATU’s website states that the course will enable graduates to apply for jobs in a range of areas, such as the biomedical, pharmaceutical, electronics, food processing and manufacturing sectors.

Great Learning 

Edtech platform Great Learning has a free Robotics and AI course open to prospective students. The beginner level course takes roughly an hour and a half and will teach students the fundamentals of robotics and AI, including control systems, programming and neural networks.

Students can join the course to build essential skills and stay up to date with the latest trends in robotics and AI. Those who finish the course and pass will receive a certificate of completion. 

Hugging Face

The adorably named Hugging Face, which is an AI community for enthusiasts and professionals alike, has a free programme titled Robotics Course. The website states that the course will take the student on a “journey, from classical robotics to modern learning-based approaches, in understanding, implementing, and applying machine learning techniques to real robotic systems”. Based on the site’s Robot Learning Tutorial, which is a comprehensive guide to robot learning for researchers and practitioners, the course is designed to make learning in this space more widely accessible. 

By the end of the course, students will know how robots learn from data, why learning-based approaches are transforming robotics and how to implement these techniques using modern tools like LeRobot. The course is self-paced and will include interactive quizzes, hands-on coding, progressive difficulty and real-world applications connecting theory to practical robotics problems. 

No formal certification is required, although the website recommends that students be comfortable with basic Python. Additionally, elementary linear algebra and calculus could help for a full understanding but aren’t required for participation. 

MTU

Munster Technological University (MTU) has an Automation and Robotics course open to potential students. The level 7 course is a year long, can be engaged with online, part-time and in a blended format, and is based at the MTU Bishoptown Campus in Cork. Applications are set to open in June 2026, for classes in September.

It is worth noting, however, that some elements will demand in-person attendance, so this particular course may require more commitment. Students who successfully complete the modules will be entitled to a Certificate in Automation and Control Systems, awarded by MTU.

Nvidia

Chipmaker Nvidia has multiple free online courses aimed at students or professionals looking to advance their robotics and automation skills.

Courses themed around or encompassing robotics knowledge include A Beginner’s Guide to Autonomous Robots, An Introduction to Nvidia Cosmos for Physical AI, and OpenUSD Learning Path.

Courses are self-paced and can provide students with a solid foundation in the subject. 

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Vacuum tubes are supposed to be extinct yet here we are in 2026 still arguing swapping and occasionally getting electrocuted. In this episode Mitch Anderson (@black_circle_radio), Eric Pye (@audioloveyyc), and Jeremy Sikora (@budget_audiophiler) strip the romance out of valves and talk about why they still matter without leaning on lazy audiophile clichés. 

The discussion cuts through tube rolling reality versus placebo and the ongoing new production versus NOS debate. It also looks at why Ray Tubes are suddenly on everyone’s radar and what Jeremy’s amp building class at the American Wireless Communication Museum teaches you that spec sheets never will.

Along the way, we connect the dots between Talk Talk’s obsessive studio craft, Miles Davis with Jimmy Cobb’s unshakable timing, and the Tron soundtrack, while getting very real about tube amp safety; from blown parts to painful zaps, because high voltage does not care how experienced you think you are.

Sponsors: Thank you to our sponsors SVS & Shure

This episode was recorded on December 3, 2025.

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Dooglehead’s DIY VR headset is reminiscent of the past, a purposeful step back in time. Modern VR headsets are all about blazing fast pixels and brilliant colors, but dooglehead’s design manages to get by with small old CRTs rescued from 1990s Sony Watchman pocket TVs, and it’s still good enough for virtual reality. Coming in at a mere 544 grams, nearly the same weight as an HTC Vive, you have the unmistakable mass and charm of old electronics slumped over your face.

Dooglehead begins by stating a simple truth: CRTs provide an appearance that even the greatest flat screens cannot replicate. Games and videos on those vintage CRTs have a lovely glow to them, and natural anti-aliasing smoothes out jagged edges without the use of fancy processing gimmicks. Color is absolutely out of the question here because the old Watchman CRTs are exclusively black and white, a limitation created out of their tiny design (because color would get in the way of you seeing out the side window). Each 2.7-inch CRT zaps an electron beam over the inside of a phosphor-coated glass screen, scanning line-by-line fifty times per second to provide a steady image. The beam is bent with magnetic coils, and the entire assembly must be vacuum-sealed inside the glass envelope.

The modern element of the setup is handled by a field-programmable gate array, which accepts an HDMI signal from a computer and separates it into two distinct analogue streams, one for each CRT. The left eye gets its vision, while the right eye gets its own, resulting in the stereoscopic depth required for VR. Valve’s lighthouse trackers determine where the wearer’s head is by reading infrared sweeps detected by photodiodes on the headset. Power is supplied by USB, with each tube requiring approximately 200 milliamps, which is sufficient to illuminate the phosphors without the use of an extra brick.

For the time being, cardboard serves as a makeshift shell, a hot-glued disaster taken from early Google Cardboard attempts. High-voltage parts are visible, reminding you that placing your finger in the wrong area will result in an unpleasant little shock. Plans are in the works for a suitable 3D-printed casing to clean things up and distribute the weight more equally. Until then, the equipment was kept together with flexible straps or even a ski mask (which was utilized in early tests), but converting to a genuine Vive-style harness has made it much more sturdy when playing.

Play some actual games, and the real test begins. Beat Saber requires you to be able to see what you’re doing, yet the black and white vision makes it difficult to notice impending blocks against a background of green grass. VRChat transports the wearer to familiar locales, such as a virtual McDonald’s, where the 3D effect works effectively despite the blur from uneven focus and narrow viewing angles. The interlaced 640×480 resolution at an effective 60 fields per second makes the animation fluid, and while there is some wobble when you move your head around, it’s not too horrible. The pixels simply blend into the softness of the CRT, creating a nice mild haze that is weirdly immersive.
[Source]

Much of Silicon Valley has spent years chasing mega-rounds and buzzy AI deals. Meanwhile, Stacy Brown-Philpot is running Cherryrock Capital like a throwback to venture capital’s earlier days, writing smaller Series A and B checks to founders that larger firms routinely overlook.

The former TaskRabbit CEO and decade-long Google veteran launched Cherryrock a year ago after seeing what she calls a persistent gap: access to capital for “underinvested entrepreneurs” building software companies at the crucial growth stage.

“When I left TaskRabbit, I took some time off to figure out what was next and saw this gap in the market, which was access to capital, particularly for underinvested entrepreneurs,” Brown-Philpot told TechCrunch. She’d originally come to the Bay Area 25 years ago, planning to become a VC and even writing her Stanford Business School essay about it. After spending a decade at Google and leading TaskRabbit to a successful exit to IKEA, she’s finally back to that original plan.

She circled back to it for a reason. Before launching Cherryrock, Brown-Philpot was a member of the investment committee for the SoftBank Opportunity Fund, a $100 million vehicle started in 2020 to back underserved entrepreneurs. That experience proved there was no shortage of overlooked founders.

SoftBank itself sold the Opportunity Fund to its leadership team in late 2023, divesting from the diversity-focused initiative. Brown-Philpot, meanwhile, doubled down, and launched her own fund. By the time she closed Cherryrock’s debut fund in February 2025, she already had more than 2,000 companies in her pipeline. 

Cherryrock is targeting 12 to 15 investments from its first fund — a concentrated approach and stark contrast to the seed funds that make dozens of bets, or massive funds that write nine-figure checks. Brown-Philpot’s also taking her time; a year after announcing the fund, she and her team, including cofounder Saydeah Howard, who spent nine years at the venture firm IVP, have backed just five companies, putting them about a third of the way toward their goal. In an era when many funds race to deploy capital almost as quickly as it’s raised, Brown-Philpot’s measured pace is another throwback to an earlier generation of VCs.

Brown-Philpot’s focus on “underinvested” founders — a careful choice of words in today’s political climate — means backing entrepreneurs who might not fit the typical Silicon Valley mold.

When asked directly about the current political environment, where DEI has become a lightning rod, Brown-Philpot is unfazed. “It doesn’t change the pitch at all,” she said. “When we look at the people who decided to back Cherryrock, like JPMorgan and Bank of America…these are financial institutions who expect to generate a return. Our job as investors is to do just that.”

In addition to those investors, Cherryrock’s LP roster includes Goldman Sachs Asset Management, MassMutual, Top Tier Capital Partners, and Melinda Gates’s Pivotal Ventures. Some of these have stepped back from explicit diversity pledges amid pressure from the Trump administration. Yet Brown-Philpot may find herself in an unexpectedly advantageous position. 

A new diversity reporting law in California requires VC firms with a California nexus to report demographic data on their portfolio companies’ founding teams, with the first deadline in April. Unlike some corporate diversity initiatives that have faced legal challenges, the law focuses on transparency rather than mandates, requiring reporting but not quotas. For a firm like Cherryrock that’s already tracking and prioritizing investments in diverse founders, compliance is “table stakes,” as Brown-Philpot puts it. “You accomplish what you measure.”

Brown-Philpot’s perspective is informed by her vantage point across multiple institutions. Beyond Cherryrock, she sits on the boards of HP, StockX, and Stanford University — roles that give her insight into both enterprise buyers and the next generation of founders. At Stanford, she’s watching students navigate questions about AI’s impact on employment. “What I see on campus is the students are charting a path and finding a way to create opportunities for themselves,” she said.

Her portfolio reflects her thesis. One investment is Coactive AI, led by Cody Coleman, an MIT grad with advanced degrees in philosophy and engineering from MIT and Stanford. The company provides multimodal AI infrastructure to the media and entertainment industry, a sector now under intense scrutiny following controversies around AI-generated content. Cherryrock led Coactive’s Series B alongside Emerson Collective.

Another bet is Vitable Health, founded by Joseph Kitonga, a Thiel Fellow and Y Combinator alum. The Philadelphia-based company provides on-demand, primary care-based health insurance to employers and hourly workers – the kind of population Brown-Philpot came to know well as the CEO of TaskRabbit during its last years as a standalone company. Kitonga “is the exact kind of founder that we want to back,” Brown-Philpot said. “He does what he says he’s going to do.” Brown-Philpot first invested at the seed stage of Vitable through her work with the SoftBank Opportunity Fund.

When asked about her operating philosophy, Brown-Philpot is pragmatic about exits. “It’s very difficult to go public,” she said. “Most companies don’t go public, they do get acquired.” It’s a refreshingly honest take in an industry that often overpromises on IPO prospects. She points to TaskRabbit’s sale to IKEA as proof that the right acquisition can create lasting value.

As for 2026, Brown-Philpot’s priority is simple: “We are actively deploying capital.” She’s looking for Series A and B companies that have achieved product-market fit at scale, letting founders define what that means. And while the broader venture ecosystem debates the future of diversity initiatives, she is focused on finding great founders, wherever they are.

“I’m from Detroit,” she says. “Hard things are hard, but we know how to do hard things.”