Another round of price hikes is coming to Disney’s full suite of streaming services.
On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter noted that Disney+ would be getting a $2/month increase on both its ad-supported (now $9.99 per month) and ad-free (now $15.99) tiers. Hulu’s ad-supported tier would also be hiked by $2/month (now $9.99 per month), though the ad-free tier would only increase by $1/month (now $18.99).
ESPN+ is also getting a $1 monthly price hike (now $11.99/month), as is the ad-supported tier of the Disney bundle (now $10.99/month). Hulu with Live TV gets the largest increase at $6/month, putting it at either $82.99/month (including ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu) or $95.99/month (including ad-free Disney+ and Hulu).
The price increases will be effective as of October 17.
Additionally, Disney+ will add “playlists” to the service, which seem more like the live channels you see on other streaming services like Paramount+ and Peacock. Among the channels will be ABC News Live and a general preschool content playlist, with future playlists based on seasonal content and properties like Marvel and Star Wars.
“Playlists are the latest example of how we’re providing the best value and experience for our subscribers every time they open Disney+,” said Alisa Bowen, president of Disney+, in a statement. “Whether its 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.”
The playlists aren’t a bad idea, but the naming is probably going to confuse people who will think they can add and customize content and create their own playlists.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.