The Internet is giddy with excitement over the slate of new Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars titles announced this week. But fresh content comes at a price, and the price of Disney+ is set to increase next year.
Taking a page from Netflix’s book, Disney+ revealed a $1 price hike for US customers, boosting monthly subscriptions from $6.99 to $7.99, as well as a $10 bump in annual membership from $69.99 to $79.99.
One of many dispatches from Thursday’s Walt Disney Company Investor Day event, the rate change will go into effect on March 26, 2021. The Disney Bundle—featuring Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+—will also see a $1 inflation to $13.99 a month. (Though for an additional $5 each month, you can get ad-free access to Hulu with Disney’s new $18.99 streaming bundle, available in January.)
It may seem a bit early for Disney to start hiking its prices, especially considering the streaming service is barely a year old. But as evidenced by Thursday’s laundry list of upcoming TV shows and movies, the company needs to earn more to make more original content. That shouldn’t be a problem, considering as of Dec. 2, Disney’s direct-to-consumer services boast more than 137 million global subscribers, including 11.5 million watching ESPN+, 38.8 million Hulu fans, and an impressive 86.8 million Disney+ viewers.
“The tremendous success we’ve achieved across our unique portfolio of streaming services, with more than 137 million subscriptions worldwide, has bolstered our confidence in our acceleration toward a DTC-first business model,” The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek said in a statement.
The firm in October began a strategic reorganization, prying apart original content creation from distribution and commercialization, allowing Disney to make individual decisions based on whether the next Marvel installment, for instance, will make more money in theaters or through streaming.
“This incredible slate of new original content reflects our continuing commitment to harness the resources and immense creativity across our company to bring audiences extraordinary entertainment experiences unlike anything else in the market,” according to Bob Iger, executive chairman and chairman of the board at The Walt Disney Company.
A few things to look forward to between now and 2023:
- Ten Star Wars-adjacent projects
- Disney reboots and sequels (Hocus Pocus 2, Disenchanted, Peter Pan & Wendy, Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers)
- Animated series featuring characters from Big Hero 6, Zootopia, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana
- A Buzz Lightyear origin story (voiced by Chris Evans)
- Every Marvel TV show and film you’ve been waiting for (WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki, Ms. Marvel, Black Widow, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther 2, Blade, Captain Marvel 2, etc.)
For a full list of everything coming to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ over the next three years, consult the 27-page 2020 Investor Day Programming Fact Sheet.
