WASHINGTON — Disney+ is expanding its subscription plans and bundles to include cheaper ad-supported memberships and raising its current prices, the media giant announced Wednesday.
The cheapest plan for the streaming service comes to $7.99 a month and includes ads. The regular ad-free plan is $10.99 a month or $109.99 annually, an increase from the current $7.99 per month. Disney+ also announced an array of bundles that mix and match memberships for Hulu and ESPN+.
Consumers will have the option to bundle all three services for $12.99 a month with ads included.
“With our new ad-supported Disney+ offering and an expanded lineup of plans across our entire streaming portfolio, we will be providing greater consumer choice at a variety of price points to cater to the diverse needs of our viewers and appeal to an even broader audience,” said Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution in the press release.
Disney+ announced plans for an ad-supported membership in March as part of a push to build an audience of 230-260 million subscribers by 2024.
Hulu, which Disney owns, already features ad-supported plans. Other platforms, such as Netflix, have announced a shift towards an ad-supported model.
Last month, Netflix paired up with Microsoft for its global ad sales and expected its ad-tier to launch in early 2023. Netflix shed almost 1 million subscribers during the spring amid tougher competition and soaring inflation that’s squeezing household budgets, heightening the urgency behind the video streaming service’s effort to launch a cheaper option with commercial interruptions.
HBO Max announced plans to merge its HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services early this month, with a U.S. rollout anticipated for next year.
Subscription Plans for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+:
- Disney+Basic (With Ads) --$7.99 a month
- Disney+Premium (No Ads) --$10.99 a month or $109.99 annual
- HuluBasic (With Ads) -- $7.99 a month or $79.99 annual
- HuluPremium (No Ads) -- $14.99 a month
- ESPN+With Ads -- $9.99 a month or $99.99 annual
- ESPN+UFC PPV -- $74.99 (Per Event)
- ESPN+UFC PPV -- $124.98 annual
Disney Bundle Plans:
- Basic -- (With Ads) Disney+, Hulu -- $9.99
- Basic -- (With Ads) Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ -- $12.99
- Legacy -- Disney+ (No Ads), Hulu (With Ads), ESPN+ (With Ads) -- $14.99
- Premium -- Disney+ (No Ads), Hulu (No Ads), ESPN+ (With Ads) --$19.99
