Disney+ Streaming Price Doubles, Subscribers Outraged

in Disney, Entertainment

An image of the Disney logo with a large red arrow pointing to the tip of the arching line above the logo. The background is in shades of blue.

Credit: Inside the Magic

The Walt Disney Company is raising prices for its streaming services for the second year in a row, immediately angering customers who find themselves paying higher and higher prices for less content.

Disney+ logo on a blue gradient background.
Credit: Disney+

As of October 17, Disney+ customers will find their streaming subscription prices increasing by $2. The ad-supported version of the service will go from $7.99 a month to $9.99. Ad-free will be upped from $13.99 to $15.99.

Similarly, Hulu with ads is now $9.99 ($2 increase) and no ads is $18.99 ($1 increase). The cost of a Disney bundle is also increasing, with Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ getting raised $2 and the Disney+ and Hulu bundles get a $1 hike.

This is the first price hike for Disney streaming services since October 2023, just over a year since the Mouse House tried to combat its losses by directly billing consumers. For the record, the price of Disney+ upon first launch in 2019 was $6.99 a month. Considering that it originally did not have any ads, that means the cost of ad-free Disney+ has more than doubled in just five years.

Related: Disney+ Faces Mass Cancellation, All Subscribers Affected This Month

The image features a large assortment of movie and TV show posters, forming a colorful background mosaic. In the center, prominently displayed, is the Disney+ logo, indicating that the platform offers a wide variety of content.
Credit: Inside the Magic

The official notice for the price hikes is buried deep in an announcement for “continuous playlists,” the company’s innovative attempt to replicate the idea of a TV channel in the streaming world. Regarding the playlists, Disney+ President Alisa Bowen says:

“Playlists are the latest example of how we’re providing the best value and experience for our subscribers every time they open Disney+. Whether it’s news, kids’ content, popular genres, hit TV shows or blockbuster films, there will be something for everyone in a lean-back viewing experience based on seasonality and interest.”

Beneath the breathless ad copy for continuous playlists is a small notice that reads, “With this growing offering, and new ways to enjoy your favorite Disney+ content, Disney subscription plans remain among the best values in streaming today. Beginning October 17, 2024, the new pricing for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ ad-supported and ad-free plans in the U.S. will be:

A table lists streaming service subscription options and prices. Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ have tiers for With Ads and No Ads, showing monthly and annual costs. Bundle offerings combine these services with varied pricing. Footnote states effective as of October 17, 2024.
Credit: Disney

The lack of profit in streaming had been a constant source of frustration for The Walt Disney Company, which has been throwing everything it can at the platform to try to make it make money.

At the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet & Communications Conference, Bob Iger blamed the company for getting too deep into the streaming wars before being ready, saying, “As we got into the streaming business in a very, very aggressive way, we tried to tell too many stories. Basically, we invested too much, way ahead of possible returns. It’s what led to streaming ending up as a $4 billion loss.”

Now, every major streamer from Disney+ to Hulu to Netflix to Prime Video to Apple TV+ is trying to figure out how to retroactively find a strategy that can justify the extreme level of executive FOMO that caused them to put all their eggs in the streaming basket.

Related: “Walt Disney Himself Was a Big Believer”: Bob Iger Says Founder Would Have Embraced AI Tech

A man in a suit and striped tie speaks in front of a digital stock market display board showing various numbers and figures in red and green, including Disney Stock. The image has a diagonal white and black border on the right side.
Credit: Disney

As one can expect, customers of the streaming service are not thrilled about yet another price hike. Twitter user @DDoc42 posted, “Disney+ hasn’t kept a lot of subscribers around over the last couple years. They recently raised the price a couple months ago if I’m not mistaken. The new content isn’t reflecting the price. At one point the platform is just going to get so expensive it has to shut down.”

@JerryCallo27 got a little more graphic about it, saying, “Agreed. They’ve got me by the balls because my little ones are 6 and 3 and all hell would break lose without Disney, but for people not in the same boat, idk how they justify the price increase.”

@peachesman7 gave a good breakdown of how Disney+ had changed in the five years since its launch. He posted, “When Disney+ launched in Nov 2019, it was 6.99mo/69.99yr. Not even 5 years later and price will have more than doubled. Not only are they not producing enough new quality content, they’ve gutted content over the past year. For the first time, I may consider not renewing.”

At this point, it seems that Disney’s streaming plan is to just keep raising the prices until it fully alienates its consumer base. Let’s see how that works out for them.

Will you keep paying for Disney+ streaming at these prices?

Be the first to comment!