The cheaper Disney Plus ad tier is coming soon, but you won’t like the new price structure for Disney’s various subscription options. Disney on Thursday announced big price hikes for various ad-free subscription tiers while revealing the release date for the ad-supported Disney Plus version.
The good news is that the current $7.99/month subscription price stays in place. The bad news is that’s the cost of the ad-supported plan. A hefty price hike follows for customers who don’t want any commercials. Disney Plus isn’t the only Disney streaming service to see price hikes. Hulu shows and ESPN Plus subscriptions are going up as well.
During Thursday’s earnings report, Disney revealed that it added 14.4 million customers to Disney Plus in the third quarter, reaching 152 million users. Despite the impressive growth, Disney lost money during the period. The company said the operating loss increased by $0.8 billion to $1.1 billion. Rising production and programming costs contributed to the loss.
As a result, Disney revealed new price hikes across its streaming services, on top of the previously announced ones. The cost increases will impact all of Disney’s streaming properties, not just Disney Plus.
Moreover, one of Disney’s bundles that include different streaming services will also see a price increase.
Disney Plus with ads: Price and release date
The Disney Plus subscription with no ads will go up to $10.99/month on December 8th. That’s a $3 price increase from the current prices. The annual charge will come down to $109.99/year. Disney calls this plan version Disney Plus Premium.
The ad-supported Disney Plus version will become the Basic version. It’ll cost $7.99/month, just like the current subscription. However, you won’t be able to score any discounts for buying a full year of Disney Plus with ads.
Disney Plus Basic will also be available to consumers on December 8th.
Hulu and ESPN Plus price hikes
The Hulu subscription will also cost extra, effective October 10th. The ad-supported version (Basic) will match the Disney Plus Basic price at $7.99/month. That’s going to be $79.99 for an entire year.
Hulu Premium is the ad-free version of the streaming service. The price will increase by $2 from $12.99 to $14.99.
Furthermore, ESPN Plus subscribers will have to pay extra for their sports streaming experience come August 23rd. But that’s a price hike that Disney announced before the earnings call. ESPN Plus will cost $9.99/month instead of the current $6.99. The yearly cost goes up to $99.99 as a result.
New Disney bundles and a price bump for the old one
You should go for the more affordable bundles if you want access to Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus. Disney introduced new options. And it increased the cost for an existing one in the process.
Here are the options you have at your disposal now once the ad-supported Disney Plus Basic plan becomes available:
- Basic (With Ads): Disney Plus, Hulu – $9.99/month
- Basic (With Ads): Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus – $12.99/month
- Legacy: Disney Plus (No Ads), Hulu (With Ads), ESPN Plus (With Ads) – $14.99/month, up from $13.99/month, for existing subscribers
- Premium: Disney Plus (No Ads), Hulu (No Ads), ESPN Plus (With Ads) – $19.99/month
Hulu + Live TV plans include Disney Plus access with no ads
Finally, there’s one more streaming bundle option from Disney that will include access to Disney Plus without ads. The Hulu + Live TV plans will include various degrees of access, depending on how much money you want to spend each month.
Here is the new price structure for Hulu + Live TV plans:
- Basic (With Ads): Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus – $69.99/month
- Legacy: Disney Plus (No Ads), Hulu (With Ads), ESPN Plus (With Ads) $74.99/month for existing subscribers
- Premium: Disney Plus (No Ads), Hulu (No Ads), ESPN Plus (With Ads) $82.99/month
Regardless of your Hulu + Live TV Plan, you get the ad-free Disney Plus experience.
