Disney is rolling out a new wave of price hikes that its subscribers will probably be none too pleased to be hit with. Beginning October 17th, individual monthly and annual plans for Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN are all going up.
Monthly subscriptions to Disney Plus with ads will jump from $8 a month to $10. The monthly Disney Plus ad-free tier will increase from $14 to $16, and annual ad-free plans will rise from their previous $140 price point to $160. Hulu’s ad-supported tier will rise from $8 / month and $80 / year to $10 / month and $100 / year, and monthly ad-free plans will jump from $18 to $19. ESPN Plus’ $11 / month and $110 / year plans will now cost $12 / month and $120 / year, respectively. And people subscribed to Disney’s basic and premium streaming bundles will also see their bills getting a bit more expensive this fall.
Along with the new prices, Disney Plus is also giving subscribers access to ABC News Live and a series of curated playlists serving up content from across the company’s portfolio beginning September 4th. The first playlist to hit the service will be focused on things for preschool-aged audiences, and Disney plans on launching four additional categories — Seasonal, Epic Stories (Marvel and Star Wars fare), Throwbacks (older shows and films), and Real Life (documentaries) — in the near future.
The playlist news tracks with past reports of Disney wanting to get into the FAST channel game to offer subscribers a low-effort way of finding things to watch. And while the price hikes similarly gel with Disney’s continued push for streaming profitability, the move isn’t likely to be a welcome change for viewers when it rolls out.