Disney Hints (Again) a Disney Plus Price Hike May Be Coming
Disney feels "bullish" about adjusting the price of Disney Plus as it bulks up the streaming library and adds a cheaper ad-supported tier later this year.
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Disney Plus launched in November 2019 to high demand.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek teased the possibility that Disney Plus price hikes may be coming, saying Wednesday that the company feels "bullish" about adjusting the streaming service's price as its library bulks up with more shows and movies and it launches a cheaper, ad-supported tier later this year.
In February, Chapek dropped similar hints, indicating that Disney Plus likely wouldn't raise prices before October but that after that, Disney might "have the flexibility, if we were to so choose, to then look at price increases on our service."
On Wednesday, Chapek beat the same drum. "As we increase our content investment, we believe that that's going to give us the ability to adjust our price," he said.
Disney Plus, which launched in late 2019, has raised its US price once so far, to $8 a month, a $1 increase.
By comparison, Netflix's most popular plan costs $15.50 a month, after the streaming giant raised its prices twice in as many years. Netflix's cheapest tier is $10. Its premium package costs $20 a month and unlocks perks like 4K resolution, HDR image quality and the ability to stream on four devices at the same time -- benefits that Disney Plus offers standard.
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