Uh oh! Disney just announced the new prices for their Disney+ subscription service, and let’s just say audiences aren’t exactly thrilled. To the dismay of customers and streaming service users, consumers can expect to see new price hikes in the coming months. Starting on October 21, 2025, Disney plans to increase the price of the Disney+ subscription (with ads) from $9.99 to $11.99, a $2 price hike—which may not seem like a lot, but the impact of inflation certainly adds up. In addition, the price for an ad-free subscription will increase from $15.99 to $18.99, a $3 price hike. Packages including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN can also be expected to increase. Disney has an estimated 126 million subscribers, and though their loyalty to the enterprise has extended beyond controversies, it’s not looking so hopeful when it comes to this one.
So why the change? This dramatic price increase can be attributed to Disney using its yearly income to invest in its business and develop more advanced content. Interestingly enough, Disney has seen a slight dip in the number of subscribers over the last five years. It’s unclear how this price increase will affect their number of subscribers going forward—will we see a decrease in patrons, or will the number stay stagnant?
As for the streaming service industry as a whole, we are now in a time where subscription services dominate and control what we can or can’t watch—practically any modern media requires the use of a streaming service. Even YouTube has somewhat recently introduced YouTube Premium—charging a whopping $13.99 per month—with features like ad-free watching and impractical technological shortcuts. This also raises a substantial threat to the movie theater industry, because who would go pay for a movie and the egregious cost of theater snacks when you can watch any show you want for half the price? Since the announcement of Disney’s subscription inflation, consumers are curious about the extent to which this price surge will continue. Will the subscription to watch a show or movie cost $25.00, or even build up to $30.00 in the future?
Picture Credits:
PCMag
CNN
SAN
Sources:
The New York Times
