If you thought all the price increases to your favorite streaming services like Disney+, Hulu, Spotify, Netflix, and more were bad, you’re not going to like this latest news. In the coming months, Disney+ and Hulu premium subscriptions will receive a substantial price increase, all while the company plans to follow Netflix and crack down on password sharing.
Starting October 12th, 2023, Disney+ Premium will cost $13.99 per month, up from the current $10.99/month, nearly double what it was a year ago. That’s a 27% increase to Disney+ without ads. On the same day, Hulu users in the U.S. can expect a similar 20% increase, jumping from $14.99 per month to $17.99/month. This comes all while the company keeps pulling its content off Disney+. Ouch!
Furthermore, both of the Hulu + Live TV packages many enjoy will see a $7 increase, jumping to $76.99 per month with ads and costing an eye-watering $90/month for the ad-free Hulu + Live TV with on-demand video. Thankfully, sports fans will only see ESPN+ increase by $1 to $10.99 per month.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the silver lining is that anyone taking advantage of Disney+ and Hulu’s ad-supported plans will continue paying just $7.99 per month, and the two remain a decent bargain as a $10 bundle. The streaming giant also plans to expand its ad-supported plans to Canada, the UK, and more starting November 1st.
During an earnings call this week, CEO Bob Iger confirmed that nearly 40% (3.3 million) of new subscribers over the last eight months have signed up for the new ad-supported plans, which may explain this latest move as the company continues to find ways to earn a bigger profit. With all these streaming services fighting for customers, you’d think prices would decrease to remain competitive, but we’re seeing the exact opposite.
If all of this wasn’t bad enough, Disney is also looking into measures to block sharing your password with friends and family. Iger revealed that the company is exploring the best way to crack down on illegal password-sharing and will implement a system to prevent it sometime in 2024. Given how successful the move was for Netflix, it was only a matter of time before others followed suit. In case you didn’t know, Amazon Prime Video is still okay with password sharing, at least for now.
Source: WSJ
