Disney Plus announces another price hike along with some meagre extras

Disney has announced yet another price hike for its Disney Plus streaming service, along with a couple of fairly minor additions by way of a justification.

From October 17, monthly and annual plans for Disney Plus will go up, Disney has announced. Disney Plus with ads will rise from $7.99 to $9.99 a month, while the ad-free tier will rise from $13.99 to $15.99.

As that currency suggests, the new pricing regime will only apply to US customers for now. However, if we’ve learned anything about Disney’s approach to pricing in recent years, it’s that UK and Europe tends to follow suit a little further down the line.

Back in December of 2022, Disney introduced its new ad-supported tier in the US, before bringing it to Europe in November of 2023.

It’s not just Disney’s own-branded streaming service that’s receiving a US price hike either. The company’s Hulu and ESPN subscription plans are also being bumped up.

The news isn’t all bad for our American readers. Disney is offering you a little something extra for your additional outlay, though the emphasis is on ‘little’.

From September 7, Disney Plus subscribers in the US is adding ABC News Live and a playlist focused on preschool content for all tiers, while four more curated playlists will follow later in the autumn. Sorry, I mean ‘fall’.

“Playlists are the latest example of how we’re providing the best value and experience for our subscribers every time they open Disney+”, said Disney Plus President Alisa Bowen. That’s certainly one way to look at it.

It seems those future playlists will incorporate Seasonal Content (self-explanatory really), Epic Stories (franchise-branded playlists from Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars), Throwbacks (nostalgic pop culture content), and Real Life (documentaries, biopics, and true stories).