After it was reported that the Walt Disney Company has overtaken Netflix in terms of total subscriber counts, the media giant announced that it will be increasing the price of its streaming services. This is in preparation for their new subscription tier that will give more options to fans of their content.
The Walt Disney Company released a statement that on Dec 8. 2022, Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus will have their price increased from $7.99 to $10.99 a month. This is due to their ad-supportive subscription tier that will cost starting $7.99 a month for the basic ad-supported tier. However, Hulu will be receiving their ad-supported tier as early as Oct. 10, 2022, while ESPN plus will receive theirs on Aug. 23, 2022, as previously planned.
The Walt Disney Company has also announced an update for their Disney Plus and Hulu bundle plans that will integrate their ad-support subscription tiers starting from $9.99.
According to Kareem Daniel, Chairman for Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, the addition of this new subscription tier would provide “more choices” for the consumer in terms of their needs and what would “appeal to them”.
“With our new ad-supported Disney+ offering and an expanded lineup of plans across our entire streaming portfolio, we will be providing greater consumer choice at a variety of price points to cater to the diverse needs of our viewers and appeal to an even broader audience. Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ feature unparalleled content and viewing experiences and offer the best value in streaming today, with over 100,000 movie titles, TV episodes, original shows, sports and live events collectively.”
The prices listed above are for their US user base. It hasn’t been announced when this new subscription tier will be released internationally.