Disney has announced its intention to raise the subscription prices for its ad-free streaming services, Disney+ and Hulu, starting from October 12, according to information shared during an earnings call as reported by CNBC. The ad-free Disney+ plan will be priced at $13.99 per month, while the ad-free Hulu plan will cost $17.99 per month.
The ad-free Disney+ subscription is currently $10.99 per month, while the ad-free Hulu subscription is $14.99 per month. This price rise is notable since it represents a significant rise from the original launch price of Disney+ three years ago, which was previously set at $6.99 per month.
Disney intends to provide a packaged service that combines both ad-free Hulu and Disney+ for $19.99 per month in order to give its customers more value. When compared to purchasing the services separately, this bundle offers a $12 save. This is significant since it maintains the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN bundle’s current price, which will soon be changed to $24.99 a month. The Hulu and Disney+ combo is anticipated to go on sale in October at the same time as the price increases.
Macrumors reported that the pricing of Disney’s ad-supported services will remain the same at $7.99 per month for Disney+ and $9.99 per month for Hulu; the cost of the combined ad-supported offering will not change.
In addition to these price adjustments, Disney intends to address the issue of password sharing, following Netflix’s lead. Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that strategies to reduce password sharing will be introduced, with implementation beginning in 2024.
These pricing changes and stance on password sharing follow Disney’s streaming division announcing a $512 million loss in the third fiscal quarter of 2023. It is important to note that this loss is lower than the prior year’s loss of $1.1 billion during the same period. Despite this, Disney’s subscriber base continues to increase, with over 105 million Disney+ subscribers and an additional 800,000 subscribers gained during the quarter.
