If you're a fan of your Disney+ subscription, expect a slightly bigger bite to be taken out of your bank in the near future. The company confirmed during its May 2023 earnings call that it will be raising the price for one of its sub tiers in the near future. That big news coincides with a huge change on the way regarding Hulu, which will undoubtedly impact many streaming households going forward.
During the latest investors call, CEO Bob Iger dropped the news that Disney intends to raise the price of its ad-free tier and roll out a future "one app" experience that will house both Disney+ and Hulu. had the following to say about big changes, which will debut before the end of the calendar year:
While we continue to offer Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ as standalone options, this is a logical progression of our DTC offerings that will provide greater opportunities for advertisers, while giving bundle subscribers access to more robust and streamlined content, resulting in greater audience engagement and ultimately leading to a more unified streaming experience.
It was confirmed during the call that while Hulu and Disney+ will unite under a shared app experience, they will both continue to exist as separate entities. It sounds similar to what other services like Paramount+ have done with add-ons like Showtime by making its library accessible from a central hub. Subscribers will presumably be able to jump right in if they have a Hulu subscription, while that content will presumably be inaccessible without it.
Bob Iger mentioned ESPN+ in his statement about the central hub, but there was no word of it being included in the one-app experience alongside Disney+ and Hulu. With that said, it is possible that Disney is simply looking to bundle all of its streaming services under one umbrella app, so it could be added in the future. Again, all of these services will still exist on their own as a standalone app.
As for the price hike, it is unclear just how much of a hit subscribers will see for continued ad-free access to Disney+. Of course, there will be those complaining about any increase in price, especially as the price of many commodities are on the rise.
Disney+ launched ad-free in 2019 with an advertised price of $6.99 a month. At the end of 2022, the price was increased to $10.99 a month, but an ad-supported tier was added for $7.99. With another price increase on the way for ad-free users, now might be the time for some to reconsider if they want commercial-free viewings of The Mandalorian. One also can't help but wonder if an eventual price hike is coming for the ad-supported tier, which remains untouched for the time being.
Disney+ is still the home for Marvel and Star Wars, and many classic animated films from the 90s that millennials rank and debate the greatness of. So, unless consumers want to lose access to that, they'll grin and bare the increase and other oncoming changes. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend as more announcements roll out about the future of the streaming service, and keep track of them with our live blog of the Disney Q2 2023 earnings call.
