Disney on Tuesday announced the latest price increases for its streaming services.
The company began alerting subscribers that the price of select Disney+, Hulu and ESPN streaming plans and bundles would increase next month.
Starting Oct. 21, the company will increase the monthly price of its Disney+ plan with ads by $2 to $11.99 per month, while the no-ads Disney Plus Premium plan will increase by $3 to $18.99 per month. Meanwhile, the company is also boosting the price of some of its bundle options.
The ad-supported bundle of Disney+ and Hulu will increase to $12.99 from $10.99 per month. The Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Select Bundle Premium, which includes ad-free Disney+ and Hulu with ad-supported ESPN+, will increase to $29.99 from $26.99.
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Notifications about the change started going out on Tuesday. The impending price hikes come as the company also contends with pushback over its handling of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” which was briefly pulled by Disney following Kimmel’s comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The show will return on Tuesday. However, Sinclair and Nexstar announced that they would preempt the show on their affiliate stations.
The price increase, which Disney says is part of the company’s regular business process, also comes shortly after Disney launched its ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service in August, which is aimed at boosting its subscriber base.
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The company launched two plans, including an unlimited option for $29.99 a month that offers access to all ESPN networks, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+ and more than 47,000 live events annually. Customers also had a chance to buy a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99 a month for the first year.
Streaming services have continuously upped their subscription prices as competition in the space heats up between Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns Max, CNN, and Discovery Channel; Disney, which owns Disney+, Hulu and ESPN; Amazon, which owns Prime; and Netflix.
Companies have heavily invested in original content and exclusive deals to bring in more subscribers and gain market share. With many players in the space, platforms have also consolidated streaming services, raised prices, cracked down on password sharing or added ad-supported tiers in order to remain profitable and effectively compete.
