Disney CEO Bob Iger is a man on a mission, and that mission is not to bring joy to the faces of children and adults through the medium of entertainment. No, his mission is to make money and ensure that Disney continues to do in a way that pleases investors. To that end, he has been making a slew of changes and the next one that will most likely ruffle some feathers is a price increase for Disney’s streaming service Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.
The price increase, which comes despite the fact that Disney is cutting back on Marvel and Star Wars content, will not impact the recently rolled out with-ads option that serves ads up to those watching shows, but anyone interested in watching without ads is going to have to pony up some extra cash. Disney+ will go from $10.99 to $13.99, Hulu will go from $14.99 to $17.99, and ESPN+ (with ads) will jump from $9.99 to 10.99. The bundle that nets you all three streaming platforms with no ads will go from $19.99 to $24.99 while the with-ads option will jump from $12.99 to $14.99. These prices are pretty much in line with other streaming services after Disney made the shocking decision to launch Disney+ at the drastically low $6.99 a month, a price that no one believed was going to stick around very long.
There is some good news, however. Those of us stuck with an ESPN+ subscription we don’t want because that was the only way to get a discounted bundle without ads will have the option to subscribe to a new ad-free duo bundle. The bundle will launch on September 6, a day that will probably see ESPN+ subscriptions plummet rapidly. The new bundle is part of Disney’s attempt to make ESPN+ into its own streaming service, divorced from cable networks while increasing the connection between Disney+ and Hulu, the latter of which is seeing some of its content move to Disney for bundle subscribers.
Keep in mind, that you may some day be paying this subscription to Apple as rumors swirl that a possible Disney sale could be coming.
