Disney+ Increases Prices Once More, Frustrating Subscribers: “This is how they afford RDJ’s comeback to the MCU”
In recent months, we’ve often covered Disney’s financial struggles with its streaming service, Disney+, which was launched to compete with Netflix. Despite its promising concept, the company appears to have overextended itself, facing over $11.4 billion in operating losses, according to a recent Forbes analysis.
Given these losses, a price increase was inevitable. As a result, the company announced yesterday that all its tiered plans will be rising in price this fall.
Starting October 17, Disney will raise the prices of most streaming plans, marking the second increase since fall 2023. This adjustment aligns with a broader industry trend of boosting streaming prices to achieve profitability in the direct-to-consumer market. The new rates will see Disney+ with ads increase from $7.99 to $9.99 per month, and the ad-free version rise from $13.99 to $15.99 per month.
Other changes include:
- Duo Basic (Disney+ and Hulu with ads) up by $1 to $10.99.
- Duo Premium remains at $19.99.
- Hulu with ads increases from $7.99 to $9.99, and without ads from $17.99 to $18.99.
- ESPN+ with ads goes up by $1 to $11.99.
- Hulu + Live TV with ads jumps from $76.99 to $82.99, and without ads from $89.99 to $95.99.
- The Disney+ bundle (Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+) rises by $2 to $16.99 for the basic plan and $26.99 for the premium plan.
To soften the impact, Disney+ will introduce continuous playlists to its U.S. on-demand service- also known as channels……
This marks the fourth price increase since the service’s launch, and soon the subscription will cost more than double what it did five years ago. Reactions have been largely negative, with many subscribers criticizing the content library as not justifying the higher cost.
Ironically, streaming services initially gained popularity as a more affordable alternative to Cable TV. However, with nearly every media company now offering its own streaming service, subscribing to all of them essentially means you’re paying for Cable TV all over again.
What are your thoughts on this latest price increase? Share your views in the comments below!