From Bloomberg, September 23:
Walt Disney Co. is raising prices on several of its streaming subscriptions in the US for the sixth time in as many years, in a move designed to boost earnings at a division that's crucial to the company's future.
The cost of the flagship Disney+ streaming service, without ads, climbs 13% or $2.50 to $21.49 per month, the company disclosed on Wednesday, confirming an earlier Bloomberg report. The increase brings the premium Disney+ product more in line with a similar plan sold by Netflix Inc., which charges $26.99 a month for an ad-free service with 4K resolution and access on multiple devices.
The price of Hulu without advertising will increase by the same amount, while the price of a bundled ad-free subscription to both Disney+ and Hulu will increase by $2 to $21.99, or just 50 cents more than subscribing to each service individually.Disney+ and Hulu with advertising will cost $12.49 per month on a standalone basis, an increase of 50 cents. The monthly cost of subscribing to an ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu bundle will be unchanged at $12.99.
Disney, like other operators, has been pricing its bundled plans attractively because consumers are less likely to cancel when they get access to multiple services.
Entertainment giants including Netflix, Apple Inc., Comcast Corp. and Paramount Skydance Corp. are all hiking the prices of streaming subscriptions in a bid to improve profitability. The cost of Disney+ has risen steadily since the original ad-free version was introduced in 2019 at a price of $6.99....
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