Disney+ Prices Are Rising, And Password Sharing Is Getting Banned: Here's When It Starts

Subscribers to Disney+ and other streaming services under the Mouse House, including Hulu and ESPN, are in for a set of new changes — including a set of significant subscription price hikes and password-sharing restrictions. Price increases under Disney's streaming services will officially take place on October 17.

Ad-supported Disney+ users can expect their plan to go up from $7.99 to $9.99 a month, while ad-free subscribers will go from paying $13.99 to $15.99 monthly. For those within the latter tier on an annual plan, prices will go from $139.99 to $159.99. If you're paying $7.99 monthly for an ad-supported Hulu plan, it will be going up to $9.99, while annual plans will increase from $79.99 to $99.99. Meanwhile, Hulu ad-free monthly plans go up from $17.99 to $18.99. 

ESPN+'s monthly increase is at the same rate, going up to $11.99 from its original $10.99 cost. The same can't be said about its annual plan, which will see a more drastic spike from $109.99 to $119.99. Finally, Duo Basic plans with ads will jump from $9.99 to $10.99 a month, while the ad-free tier bundle option seems to be staying the same at $19.99 a month. 

Following in the footsteps of Netflix, Disney+ will also be enacting plans announced last year to prevent users from sharing passwords outside their home. While a handful of countries have seen these changes take place over the summer, U.S. users have yet to be given an official date of implementation. However, Disney CEO Bob Iger recently stated in an earnings call that this change will be taking place "in earnest" this September, which will likely involve extra fees being added on any non-household members attached to your account.

Disney's upcoming streaming service price increases are likely to frustrate a number of longtime subscribers, especially as inflation continues to dominate so many other aspects of our lives. That said, it's hard to call the move a surprising one by any means. With other major platforms in recent months like Max and Paramount+ bringing rates up, it was only a matter of time until Disney jumped on the bandwagon. 

Of course, there's no reason to pay more for the same service. Disney has recognized this, and is enhancing the experience of its subscribers with some new additions. Among these will be the ability for users to have full access to ABC Live, the streaming video news channel under the Disney-owned network. Starting on September 4, the company will also be releasing playlists containing a diverse array of content set to specific themes. The first to launch will focus on preschool-centric content given the streamer's extensive use among parents to entertain their kids. Several others catered to older audiences are also on the horizon, with curated playlists centered on Marvel and Star Wars content, documentaries, classic movies and shows, and more planned for the future. 

While these may be interesting to some, it's fair if it's not enough to be a motivator for others to pay more. In this case, it's easy to cancel your Disney+ subscription with only a few easy steps if you're no longer interested.