Disney to up streaming prices. What competing services charge for subscriptions?
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Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday revealed it would increase how much subscribers have to pay for certain plans on its streaming services, making it the most recent to do so.
The ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu will soon see their monthly membership fees upped by $3, becoming $13.99 and $17.99 respectively, the entertainment giant said. The standalone ad-supported plans will remain flat, with Disney+ Basic and Hulu staying at $7.99 and Hulu too.
Hulu with live TV will become $76.99 with ads, and the version without them will go up to $89.99, according to the press release.
DISNEY RAISING PRICES OF DISNEY+, HULU AD-FREE PLANS FOR 2ND TIME IN A YEAR
Disney is also launching a new "Duo Premium" plan that bundles both ad-free versions of the streaming services for a $19.99 monthly cost. The company has other bundles already available that vary in pricing, some including ESPN+.
FILE - The Disney+ streaming log-in screen is displayed on a television, Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, in East Derry, N.H. Walt Disney reports quarterly financial results reports quarterly financial results Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa / AP Newsroom)
The company said the price increases will kick in as of mid-October. With those changes approaching, where are the other popular streaming services positioned in terms of subscription price in the U.S.?
What do other streaming services cost?
Netflix, a major player in the sector, currently has just three plans in the U.S. after having recently decided to make its Basic plan "no longer available for new or rejoining members" in the country. They are:
- Standard with Ads: $6.99 per month
- Standard: $15.49 per month
- Premium: $19.99 per month
Subscribers to the two ad-free plans, Standard and Premium, may have larger monthly fees if they chose to have "extra members," according to the streaming giant’s website. Those "extra members," which come with an extra $7.99 monthly charge, are part of Netflix’s crackdown on subscribers sharing accounts with people living outside their household.
NETFLIX STOPS OFFERING BASIC MEMBERSHIP PLAN IN US
Netflix Inc
Meanwhile, e-commerce giant Amazon has made its Prime Video service, home to original series like "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and "The Boys," accessible through its Amazon Prime membership for years. That asks for $14.99 on a monthly basis or $139 on an annual basis, according to the company.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIS | THE WALT DISNEY CO. | 115.65 | +0.93 | +0.81% |
| NFLX | NETFLIX INC. | 897.79 | +0.31 | +0.03% |
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 197.12 | -1.26 | -0.64% |
Users started having the option of Prime Video by itself back in 2016, according to reports. For just that subscription, it comes with a price tag of $8.99 per month.
The logo of the streaming service Netflix can be seen on a television. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In late May, Warner Bros. Discovery’s new streaming platform bringing together HBO Max and Discovery+ content, Max, went live with three different membership plans:
- Max with Ads: $9.99 per month
- Max Ad-Free: $15.99 per month
- Ultimate Ad-Free: $19.99 per month
Paramount Global made changes to the subscription options on its streaming platform this summer too.
The Paramount+ service on June 27 saw the official debut of its new Paramount+ with Showtime plan. That plan charges $11.99 each month, an increase from the prior premium plan, according to reports.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAPL | APPLE INC. | 229.87 | +1.35 | +0.59% |
| WBD | WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY INC. | 10.11 | -0.12 | -1.17% |
| PARA | PARAMOUNT GLOBAL | 10.88 | -0.21 | -1.89% |
Paramount+ Essential, which does not have Showtime content, experienced a $1 raise, hitting $5.99 on a monthly basis, per a press release.
That came roughly four months after Paramount Global executives had said during the company’s February earnings call such increases would happen.
Video on demand, TV streaming, multimedia. Hand holding remote control (iStock / iStock)
Apple also has a streaming service, Apple TV+. It goes for $6.99 a month, a price that falls on the lower end of the scale for platforms.
The company gives customers purchasing an Apple device three months of the streaming service at no cost, its website stated. The Apple TV+ membership price had a $2 lift in 2022.
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Last month, new subscribers to Comcast Corporation subsidiary NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service started facing a higher price for their memberships. Existing subscribers are slated to become subject to them Aug. 17, FOX Business previously reported.
Here’s the updated prices:
- Premium: $5.99 per month
- Premium Plus: $11.99 per month
The former plan’s price rose $1 from its previous cost, while the other experienced a slightly larger increase of $2.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMCSA | COMCAST CORP. | 43.47 | -0.03 | -0.07% |
Under the hike, Peacock’s premium plan started coming with a $5.99 per month price tag, rising $1 from its previous cost. The platform is also now charging $11.99 per month for its premium plus subscription. Comcast cable customers, including Xfinity, had access to Peacock for free when it first launched, but the company has since eliminated that perk.
Peacock has said its wide-ranging catalog of content has expanded by over 80,000 hours since 2020.
Greg Norman contributed to this report.