Disney’s streaming services are about to get more expensive. On Tuesday, the media company announced price hikes across the board for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. It comes in a deeply uncertain environment for media companies, which face rapidly changing consumer behavior, rising costs of doing business, a revitalized labor movement in Hollywood and harsh regulators that are skeptical of mergers.
Beginning in mid-October, U.S. subscribers to Disney+ will pay $2 more per month for its advertising-supported plan.
Netflix remains the runaway leader in the streaming business – and the only consistently profitable competitor in the segment. Disney is the closest to building a semblance of a Netflix rival, barely squeezing out a profit in parts of its streaming business in the first quarter. Beginning on October 17, U.
S. subscribers to Disney+ will have to pay $2 more per month for its plans: Disney+ with ads will cost $9.99, up from $7.
99. Its ad-free plan will cost $15.99, up from $13.
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. Hulu’s ad-supported plan will also increase to $9.99 per month, from $7.
99, and its ad-free plan will rise by one dollar to $18.99. ESPN+, the company’s sports streaming service, will also rise by $1 to $11.
99 per month. The company said it would also add new features to Disney+, along with the price hikes: Ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election, all Disney+ subscribers will have access to ABC News Live and a continuous playlist of content aimed at preschool-aged.