Starting with a small increase, then by combining with Hulu later this year.
Just like with everything in life these days, your Disney+ subscription is about to get more expensive. At the end of last year, Disney increased pricing from $7.99 to $11, and now it sounds like at least two more price hikes are coming between now and the end of 2023.
During its most recent annual earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger had much to say about its many streaming services and the future. For starters, Iger noted that the monthly or yearly subscription cost to Disney+ would be going up again soon but didn’t say when or by how much.
More importantly, the CEO confirmed that Disney+ and Hulu would be combining later this year into a “one-app experience” to bolster user content options. And while that sounds great, it almost certainly means that once a merge happens, we can all expect pricing to change again.
Plus, there’s a good chance the all-in-one app will also include ESPN+ content, making it one big service that offers a little bit of everything. Don’t get me wrong, if we’re getting all that extra content, I’m willing to pay for it, but pricing will be key when you consider how competitive the TV landscape is.
It’s also worth mentioning that Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ will still be available as standalone apps for those who don’t want to pay more for additional content. However, if Hulu gets completely combined into Disney+, it’ll still cost more than it currently does today.
What this all means is the current pricing of $7.99 for Disney+ with ads or $10.99 without isn’t going to last very long. Shortly, expect a $2-3 increase, then likely another one once all these services become one before the end of the year.
For what it’s worth, the company already offers a 3-in-1 bundle that gets you all three at a heavy discount, but we’ll have to wait and see how this all shakes out.
via Variety
