On August 10, The Walt Disney Company held its third-quarter earnings call. Many things were discussed in terms of Disney+ subscriber numbers, where those subscriber numbers are expected to go, how the theme parks are performing now that they are all open, and how Disney’s other entertainment areas are performing — including Hulu and ESPN+. During the call, Disney shared some big news about the new ad-supported tier of Disney+, which was announced earlier this year. The ad-supported tier will be available on December 8!
Disney wants to get more people to subscribe to its streaming platform — which is now available in more than 150 markets — while also offering an affordable product. On December 8, the ad-supported tier will launch for a monthly cost of $7.99. Now, you may know that the ad-free tier of Disney+ is currently priced at $7.99, which means that the ad-free tier will soon cost subscribers a lot more money. On the earnings call, Disney shared that the ad-free tier of Disney+ will see a price increase of $3 — costing $10.00 after December 8.
This price increase will be seen across the board — also affecting both Hulu and ESPN+. Hulu’s ad-supported tier (without live programming) will increase from $6.99 per month to $7.99 per month. The ad-supported tier of Hulu (without live programming) will increase from $12.99 per month to $14.99 per month. ESPN+ will go from $6.99 per month to $9.99 per month.
Existing Disney bundle subscribers for Disney+ (no ads), Hulu (with ads), and ESPN+ will see a small increase from $13.99 per month to $14.99 per month, but the bundle of Disney+ without ads, Hulu without ads, and ESPN+ will remain the same price at $19.99 per month. Subscription bundles with the Hulu + Live TV offering will also see price hikes, with plans starting at $69.99 per month — the current price for the ad-free tier of Disney+, Hulu + Live TV, and ESPN+ — for a bundle that includes Disney+ with ads.
Disney also shared that there will be no ads when it comes to children’s profiles and children’s content, at least at the ad-supported launch. Disney said that they will possibly reevaluate the ads in the children’s program at a later date if they would like to. Disney+ allows subscribers to create children’s profiles, as well as only allowing the profile to show content at a certain rating, like G and PG.