Disney’s increasing the price for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+
Move comes as unit reports its first profit.
Disney’s streaming services are about to cost more.
The entertainment giant announced plans Tuesday to hike the price of all three of its offerings—Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Starting Oct. 17, Disney+ will cost $2 more per month in the U.S. for both the ad-free and ad-supported plans. Disney+ with ads will cost $9.99, up from $7.99. The ad-free option will jump from $13.99 to $15.99 per month.
Hulu, meanwhile, will bump the price of its ad-supported plan from $7.99 to $9.99 per month, while the ad-free version will see a $1 monthly increase to $18.99. ESPN+ will jump to $11.99 per month, a $1 increase.
The price increase will mean the ad-free version of Disney+ has more than doubled its monthly cost in less than five years. Disney says it does plan to add new features with the price hike, however. Disney+ subscribers will have access to ABC News Live and a playlist of content for preschool-aged children, including “Sofia the First” and “Minnie’s Bow-Toons.”
The price increases come on the heels of Disney reporting its first-ever streaming profit. The company on Wednesday announced its streaming unit had operating income of $47 million on $6.38 billion in revenue in its third fiscal quarter. That’s not much, but it’s an important turnaround, as Disney has lost over $11 billion in streaming services since launching the division.
Overall, the company reported a profit of $2.62 billion.
Disney has also recently announced a streaming super-bundle with Warner Bros. Discovery, allowing customers to get Disney+, Hulu and Max for a single subscription. That will be priced at $16.99 per month with ads and $29.99 per month without ads.
