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- Annual subscription to rise from US$69.99 to US$99.99
- Disney raised price by US$1 per month in 2020 and 2021
- Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu bundle remains unchanged at US$13.99 per month
Disney is increasing the price of its ESPN+ sports streaming service in the US by 43 per cent to US$9.99 per month from 23rd August.
The monthly cost of ESPN+ had previously been US$6.99. An annual subscription will rise from US$69.99 to US$99.99.
Disney’s last two ESPN+ price hikes have been for only US$1 per month, coming in August 2020 and August 2021.
ESPN+ currently has approximately 22.3 million subscribers. More broadly, Disney wants to reach 230 million to 260 million Disney+ subscribers by the end of 2024. The media giant ended the last quarter with 137.7 million global Disney+ subscribers.
Other sports streaming services to have increased their subscription price this year include DAZN in Spain and Kayo Sports in Australia.
SportsPro says…
A single price increase of more than 40 per cent for an over-the-top (OTT) platform is unusual, especially considering the comparatively modest rises implemented by ESPN+ over the last few years.
Should customers stay with the service, the subscription cost uplift will help Disney to bump up revenue for its streaming division, which posted a loss of US$887 million for the second quarter – up from US$290 million the year prior.
No doubt Disney will also use the uplift as a chance to reiterate its extensive live sports content offering, which includes new National Football League (NFL) games, the National Hockey League (NHL) and golf’s PGA Tour, as well as Wimbledon and Australian Open tennis.
Notably, Disney has opted not to change the price of its bundle which comprises Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu. That package will remain at US$13.99 per month, narrowing the price difference between a single subscription for ESPN+.
