Your Disney streaming services will cost a bit more in a couple of months.
The Walt Disney Company announced Tuesday it’s changing the costs of almost all plans for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ starting Oct. 17. That includes all of its stand-alone tiers for the three streaming services, as well as one of its bundles.
Ad-supported plans for Hulu and Disney+ will increase by $2 to $9.99 monthly each. Hulu’s premium plan will cost $1 more at $18.99 per month, while the Disney+ premium plan will go up $2 to $15.99 monthly. ESPN+ with ads will be $11.99 instead of $10.99.
The largest jump in price is that of Hulu’s live TV plans, with the basic up $5 and the premium going up $6.
The only plans Disney isn’t changing in this price hike are its recently introduced Disney+/Hulu/Max bundle, which costs $16.99 for basic and $29.99 for premium, and its premium Disney+ and Hulu plan, which costs $19.99 monthly. The ad-supported version will rise $1 to $10.99 monthly.
RELATED STORY | Disney+, Hulu, Max launch streaming service bundle with up to 38% monthly savings for customers
Alongside the announcement, Disney said that ABC News Live and a playlist focused on preschool content will be available to subscribers starting Sept. 4, with four more curated playlists coming this fall to be refreshed monthly. The additional content, Disney says, “bolsters” its offering ahead of the updated prices.
“With this growing offering, and new ways to enjoy your favorite Disney+ content, Disney subscription plans remain among the best values in streaming today,” the company said in its announcement.
Though with every price hike you may assume more subscribers will jump ship, that hasn’t deterred most companies in the streaming business from crossing the line in recent months.
Paramount said at the end of June that starting Aug. 20, monthly costs for most of its plans would increase, with its limited commercial plan costing $2 more at $7.99 monthly. And Max raised its prices by $1 for existing customers on July 4, though new customers saw the new prices upon sign-up in June. Peacock’s plans jumped $2 in July for new customers, and in August for current subscribers.
With the increases, most companies tout their offerings and value, but retention is still an issue in the business. Deloitte’s most recent Digital Media Trends report states 40% of Americans with a subscription canceled at least one in the past six months, per Forbes.
