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Credit: DisneyEver since the Disney+ streaming platform debuted on November 12, 2019, Disney fans haven’t been able to get enough of the service.
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The platform is the streaming home of nearly all of Disney’s subsidiaries, including Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm/Star Wars, and Pixar Animation Studios.
Since 2019, notably, an entire catalog of Star Wars and MCU movies, including the nine-film Skywalker Saga and the entire Avengers Infinity Saga, have been added to the popular platform, which has only recently failed to exceed subscriber expectations.
The Mandalorian — which introduced Grogu (AKA “Baby Yoda”) and bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) to the Star Wars universe — quickly skyrocketed up the charts as the cornerstone of the Disney+ service.
Both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars have released numerous Disney+ Original series in addition to their feature films. Star Wars, for instance, has given fans two seasons of The Mandalorian, two animated series — Star Wars: Visions and Dave Filoni’s Star Wars: The Bad Batch — and, now, Mandalorian spinoff The Book of Boba Fett.
Another live-action installment, Obi-Wan Kenobi, debuted on May 27, 2022, and Rogue One prequel, Andor, is set to premiere on September 21.
Marvel President Kevin Feige’s team has also been hard at work, putting out five series — WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…?, and Hawkeye — in 2021 alone.
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2022 has seen the addition of more MCU series, including Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel.
Last week The Walt Disney Company hosted its Q3 earnings call, during which Disney+ Basic and Disney+ Premium tier were officially unveiled. The Disney+ Basic plan, which includes ads, will be priced at $7.99 per month with no option for an annual subscription.
Disney+ Premium, on the other hand, does not have ads, but will have a price point of $10.99 a month or $109.99 a year. This is a 37% increase in both cases, which is quite a price hike for a single increase.
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Many Disney fans online are unhappy with the move — which comes on the heels of news about a Disney Bundle price increase, as well — and they’ve made their opinions known.
MediaVerse+ thought the price hike was “in poor taste” given the current inflation rates and the dicey economic climate worldwide:
I won’t lie. I love #Disney, but raising the #DisneyPlus price given the current economic climate was in extremely poor taste. Something so many people rely on for entertainment at home during these tough times when we have like 3 pandemics going at once…
I won’t lie. I love #Disney, but raising the #DisneyPlus price given the current economic climate was in extremely poor taste. 🤷🏽♂️ Something so many people rely on for entertainment at home during these tough times when we have like 3 pandemics going at once…#Marvel #StarWars pic.twitter.com/K7klmlkr4y
— MediaVerse+ ➐ (@MediaVersePlus) August 10, 2022
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Another Twitter user is wondering if the move could ultimately hurt the company enough to force a restructure. While this seems unlikely in reality, it is an interesting talking point:
Disney’s in for a world of hurt in Dec.
A big chunk of their disney+ subscriber base came from an intro 3 year sale, 3 years for $150. That runs out in Nov… right before price increase in Dec.
Consolidation coming for Big Mouse. I think they keep ESPN tho
Disney’s in for a world of hurt in Dec.
A big chunk of their disney+ subscriber base came from an intro 3 year sale, 3 years for $150. That runs out in Nov… right before price increase in Dec.
Consolidation coming for Big Mouse. I think they keep ESPN tho
— Dream B1G (@B1GAAU) August 15, 2022
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A user going by Ol’ Whisker-Biscuits wrote:
Going to try to watch “Steamboat Willie” another 136 times before the Disney Plus price increase causes me to cancel.
Going to try to watch "Steamboat Willie" another 136 times before the Disney Plus price increase causes me to cancel.
— Ol' Whisker-Biscuits (@Carlton129) August 14, 2022
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Joseph Carlson shared displeasure about the price increase, noting that the percentage of the increase since Disney+ debuted is significant:
Disney+ in 2019 started at $6.99 / month. Now, in 2022 it’s going to be $10.99, a 57% price increase in 3 years.
Netflix’s standard ad-free plan at $15.49 is quickly looking less expensive.
$DIS $NFLX
Disney+ in 2019 started at $6.99 / month. Now, in 2022 it's going to be $10.99, a 57% price increase in 3 years.
Netflix's standard ad-free plan at $15.49 is quickly looking less expensive.$DIS $NFLX
— Joseph Carlson (@joecarsonshow) August 13, 2022
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The general consensus is that Disney should not be raising the cost of Disney+, at least not during these already trying times for many families.
What do you think?