DISNEY has hit its fans with price hikes in the days following the controversy with Jimmy Kimmel Live! that cost the company billions.
Subscribers can expect the cost of both Disney+ and Hulu to spike next month as the company works to boost its profits.
Disney’s ABC recently suspended the beloved Jimmy Kimmel Live! show following the host’s controversial comments regarding the death of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk.
The move dropped Disney’s stock by around $4 to $5 billion, or roughly 3% to 4% of its over $200 billion value, thanks to a flurry of backlash, including social media outrage and calls to cancel Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions.
The entertainment company quickly reversed course and reinstated the show a few days later, grappling to revive its numbers.
Following its costly move to drop Kimmel, Disney announced a price hike on its Disney+ and Hulu platforms.
The mass media and entertainment conglomerate is plotting to bump up the cost for its viewing plans in the US starting next month.
Disney+ with ads will jump from $9.99 per month to $11.99 beginning on October 21, 2025.
Disney+ Premium, which does not have ads, will climb $3 from $15.99 monthly to $18.99.
Viewers will see the Hulu standalone plan with ads cost $2 more each month as the price increases from $9.99 to $11.99 next month, while the ad-free Hulu Premium will stay at $18.99 per month.
Additionally, Disney is planning to bump up the price of ESPN Select, formerly known as ESPN+, from $11.99 per month to $12.99 on October 21.
For the time being, the introductory cost of the bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited with ads will remain at $29.99 per month for the first 12 months.
Disney notified customers of the price hikes Tuesday on its customer support sites.
The U.S. Sun reached out to Disney for comment on the price increases but did not hear back immediately.
COUGH IT UP
The cost increase comes in the wake of drama with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, with ABC’s suspension of the popular show prompting many Disney+ and Hulu users to cancel their subscriptions.
Many users on X speculated that the move was an effort to compensate for the subscriber loss and negative sentiment following the controversy.
“Got to make up for those few days folks cancelled their subs!” said one user, as another wrote, “They need their $4 billion back.”
The price jumps could also just be “bad timing,” as one X user put it, and simply part of Disney’s routine fee hikes.
It marks the third time in three years that the entertainment company has increased the prices of its streaming services in the US, with Disney+ and Hulu previously seeing cost spikes last October and in October 2023.
Regardless of the reason behind the more expensive streaming services, customers are not happy.
“Paying a dime for a subscription WITH commercials is such a Boomer exec move,” complained one user on X.
“They want to replicate the ‘good ole days’ of 20th century cable via 21st century streaming.”
Others commented that the price surges were a “quick way to lose subscribers” and would likely do more harm than good in the wake of Disney’s sales drop.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/money/15238183/disney-plus-hulu-price-increase-jimmy-kimmel-charlie-kirk/
