Disney+ price increase could be coming

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Disney’s big cheese has hinted that the company may be sniffing around a price increase for its streaming service Disney+.

That’s what CEO Bob Chapek indicated on an earnings call earlier in February 2022.

It is currently priced at $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year. When it launched in November 2019, it cost $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year.

It hiked prices by $1 a month in 2021.

When it launched, the service notably undercut Netflix’s $10 (at the time) price tag for its entry level plan but still offered a fairly hefty content library, unlike other streamers that were popping up around the same time at even lower prices but with comparatively small offerings.

Since then, Disney+ has expanded its content significantly, as have most other competing streamers, including investments in original content as well as moving over existing content as streaming rights deals with other providers expire.

Disney+ has around 180 million subscribers and the company is still sticking to its target of 230 million to 260 million by the end of fiscal year 2024, potentially making it larger than Netflix, widely considered the leader in streaming (not all services release exact subscriber counts).

Netflix has 222 million subscribers, but has been showing signs of slowing growth while also announced a price increase earlier in 2022.

Disney+ is also available bundled with Hulu and ESPN+.

Talk of price increases for Disney+ isn’t exactly surprising — the company previously announced it would increase prices at its theme parks, citing increased operating costs and massive losses during the pandemic.

News of the price increases to what many already saw as pricey admission costs have riled some Disney fans while some analysis has shown it has boosted the company’s profits significantly.