By: Nick Gambino
Well, I’m surprised it took this long, but Disney has just announced that they’re hiking the price of a Disney Plus subscription to $10.99 a month, up from $7.99. This is to make way for the addition of an ad-supported plan called Disney Basic. The new ad tier will snag the $7.99 spot and will launch on December 8th.
Raising the price on what they’re now calling Disney Plus Premium is yet another nail in the coffin of the “it’s cheaper” selling point for streamers. When we only had Netflix, Hulu and maybe Prime Video to choose from it seemed manageable. But now there are endless options and each one of those ad-free options (save for Apple Plus) are over $10 a month.
Add them all up and it’s like having cable. Of course, you could just sign up for one or two platforms, but that’s just crazy. I need to have Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO MAX (as long as it’s still around), Disney Plus, Apple Plus, Paramount Plus and on and on. God forbid I miss out on a single bingeable show.
Speaking of Hulu, Disney is also raising the price on that popular streaming service. On October 10th, the basic plan is jumping from $6.99 to $7.99 and the premium ad-free plan is going from $12.99 to $14.99. Even the Disney Plus Bundle, which includes Hulu (ads), Disney Plus (no ads) and ESPN Plus (ads) is getting more expensive, cruising from $13.99 to $14.99. Ok, that’s not a significant hike but still.
“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,” Kareem Daniel, Chairman of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, said in a press release.
I’m all for unwavering capitalism, but I also don’t like predatory capitalism. Can you meet me in the middle, Disney? Who am I kidding? I’m going to keep paying for all these services no matter how expensive they get.
