Streaming services are a cheaper alternative to cable, but with all the price increases lately, it's hard to remember that. Disney+ is the latest video subscription to announce big plan changes that will take a larger portion of your paycheck — unless you want to opt for a new cheaper ad tier and start seeing commercials.
Starting Dec. 8, two tiers of Disney+ subscriptions will be offered. The no-ads tier, called Disney+ Premium, costs $10.99 a month or $109.99 a year. Customers currently pay $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year for the same service, marking a whopping 38% price increase if you don't want to see commercials.
Disney plus is going to cost me twice as much in December and I’m not getting anything for the price increase.
— Brian P. Hogan (@bphogan) November 3, 2022
You’re going to have a hard time convincing me that Disney needs more money.
Yea. Not worth it.
The new tier with ads is called Disney+ Basic, and in true megacorporation fashion, it costs the same as what you're paying now without ads: $7.99 a month. No discount if you purchase a full-year membership in advance has been announced, so it's likely there isn't going to be one.
Disney+ will also continue to offer bundles that include Hulu and/or ESPN+:
- Disney Bundle Duo Basic: The cost of this plan is $9.99 a month and includes Disney+ Basic and Hulu (with ads).
- Disney Bundle Trio Basic: This plan costs $12.99 a month and features Disney+ Basic, Hulu (with ads), and ESPN+ (with ads).
- Disney Bundle Trio Premium: The price of this plan is $19.99 a month and includes Disney+ Premium, Hulu (no ads), and ESPN+ (with ads).
- Legacy Disney Bundle: The cost of this plan increases to $14.99 a month from $13.99 a month and includes Disney+ Premium, Hulu (with ads), and ESPN+ (with ads). It won't be available for purchase or to switch to after Dec. 7. Existing subscribers will be able to keep the plan so long as they do not cancel or change it.
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If you sign up or renew your current annual subscription before Dec. 8, you can lock in current pricing for the next year. So if you want to keep (or start!) watching Disney+ ad-free, sign up or re-up soon.
