Disney isn’t going through a great time financially, but in terms of users, it has had several wins in recent months. It remains to be seen what the consequences will be after the subscription price increase and the introduction of a version with ads.
This week, Disney released its last quarter financial results. In doing so, it revealed several interesting numbers related to the popularity of its streaming services. Not to say there aren’t more, but there are more, even if most identify the giant only with Disney+. Especially in the US, the company still has ESPN+ with about 24.3 million subscribers in its portfolio, up from 22.8 million, and Hulu with 47.2 million subscribers, up from 46.2 million.
When they hear Disney, however, most people think of Disney+, and the beloved streaming service jumped to 164.2 million subscribers globally, up 12 million from 152.1 million at the end of last quarter. That’s a huge win for the company, given that estimates were for a 9.35 million subscriber increase.
New Disney+ subscription available December 8
If you thought that with the launch of the Disney+ service with commercials you’d be able to enjoy the beloved streaming platform at no extra cost, you’re sadly mistaken. The current price will move to the ad-supported version, while most users will pay a significantly higher price to enjoy their favorite shows without interruption.
At the moment, the new price for Romania has not been officially confirmed, but we could use as a barometer the values in the United States, where you pay $8 a month now and will pay $11 a month in the future or $110 a year. We are talking about an increase of about 30%.
At $8, the current value, will come your Disney+ subscription with ads or $80 a year. As a result, those who don’t want or can’t afford the increased rate will have to make do with ads. Given that in Romania you pay 30 lei for a Disney+ subscription and 300 lei a year, it’s no exaggeration to expect an increase of 10 lei, up to 40 lei a month or 400 lei a year, if you want to continue accessing the platform without ads.