Disney is hiking the price of its ad-free streaming platform in the United States to US$10.99 a month starting 8 December in the United States. This is a US$3 increase from what users are currently paying monthly.
The price change will coincide with the launch of its streaming service’s upcoming ad-supported plan. The ad-supported tier will be called ‘Disney+ Basic’ and cost US$7.99 and the ad-free subscription plan will be called ‘Disney+ Premium’.
Simply put, if users want to continue paying US$7.99 per month, they can do so, but will have to deal with advertisements under the ‘Disney+ Basic’ plan. To enjoy an uninterrupted viewing experience, users can opt for the ‘Disney+ Premium’ plan for an additional cost. The plan will be US-only at first and expand to other countries in 2023.
The news comes on the cusp of the House of Mouse’s latest quarterly earnings today and amid a sentiment shift on streaming. Advertising lets Disney offer more options and price points and also ensures that it stays relevant in the streaming war, especially with inflation soaring and recession looming.
Disney+ isn’t the only service affected. The media giant will also raise the price of ad-free Hulu to US$15 on 10 October.
Production costs for Disney+ and Hulu are also soaring so having varying subscription tiers and a price hike means that Disney gets to make that money back and continue making content too.
Over the last quarter, the company gained 14.4 million subscribers. This is a sharp contrast to its key rival Netflix, which recently lost 1.3 million subscribers and saw a fall in revenue amidst its strict crackdown on account sharing and the cancellation of shows and projects too.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, for behind all this makeup, is a geek just like you. To simply put it, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter and all things gore and creepy makes this girly girl swoon.
Natalie
Trinity Sun
