Disney Plus and Hulu to Increase Streaming Rates

Disney has announced that it will be raising the prices of its streaming services, Disney+ and Hulu. The standard, ad-supported tier of Disney+ will go up by $2 to $11.99, while the ad-free option will increase by $3 to $18.99. If you prefer to purchase an annual Disney+ subscription, it will be going up by about $30. Hulu will also see a $2 increase for the ad-supported option, bringing it to $11.99 a month, and ESPN Select will go up by $1 to $12.99. Various bundles will also experience price increases of between $2 and $3.

Subscribers can expect to see the higher prices take effect on October 21, with notifications sent out on September 23. This information can also be found on the Disney+ Help Center webpage. It’s worth noting that this price increase is not unusual for Disney, as they raised prices by $1 to $2 in October of the previous year as well.

During its most recent earnings call, Disney warned investors that prices could potentially increase, and the company reported having approximately 128 million subscribers in August. However, there has been some backlash following the suspension of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel due to comments he made regarding a controversial topic. Despite this, Kimmel has returned to most ABC local affiliates after being off the air for almost a week.

Many are speculating that the fallout from this incident may lead to some subscribers canceling their Disney+ subscriptions, including notable figures like Howard Stern, who mentioned that he did so in support of Kimmel. Despite this, Disney stands by its decision to raise prices, as it is a regular business practice for the company.

In addition to the streaming price increase, Disney has also been in the news for various other reasons, such as the layoffs at Spirit Airlines, LinkedIn displaying Duolingo scores, and Starbucks workers suing over a dress code change. National Cheeseburger Day also brought about deals and freebies for consumers to enjoy.