Disney will raise the price if Disney+ because they want you to pay less
By Brian Miller
Soon, it will cost you a little more to watch shows like Andor or any of the Marvel series or for that matter anything that is streamed on Disney+. That shouldn't come as a huge surprise if we are being honest. Prices do indeed go up. It's the reason that is interesting.
Disney has decided to raise prices in the hopes of saving you money. While it isn't the only reason for the price hike, Disney execs said that one of the reasons is they are hoping subscribers will move to the lower tier ad-based subscription price which is not changing.
Disney+ Basic is currently $7.99 and that will remain the same. Disney wants to keep or hope that subscribers will take on the lower tier because it is, ad-based. This, they believe, will make them more money. The more ads that are being watched is more money in Disney's pockets and if there is a bigger subscription to ad-based streaming, they can sell the ads for more money.
While it may sound odd at first, it does make sense from a business perspective. For those streamers who absolutely do not like to watch ads (I'm one of them) a higher premium to do so also makes sense...for them.
The pricing structure as it stands now comes with two options. A Disney Bundle that includes Plus, Hulu, and one of the absolute worst services ESPN+. ESPN+ does not get many live programs and not all of the ESPN content.
Those prices range from the basic $9.99 that only includes Disney Plus and Hulu, a $12.99 tier that includes ESPN+ with ads, and a $19.99 no-ad tier for all three.
If you are looking for only Disney+ you are paying $10.99 a month for the no-ad option. That is the service that will go up $3.00 in the coming months.
If you can stomach the ads, it is clearly the best option but keep this in mind, you may want to lock in further price changes by switching to an annual plan if you can. The price increase will not effect you during those months. In addition, there is talk that later this year, Disney+ and Hulu will both automatically be together as one service whether you want it or not. Stay tuned!