It has become a pretty consistent thing. At least a few times a year, you hear from one (or more) of your streaming services confirming that a price hike is coming. It has come to a point where we almost expect it, though every incremental increase really adds up. The latest is Disney+, which has just notified subscribers that premium pricing is going up by a buck.
The e-mail sent to Disney+ Premium subscribers indicates that starting in November 21, 2024, based on the date of your plan’s monthly renewal, the price is increasing from $14.99 to $15.99 per month. New subscribers who joined after October 17, 2024 have already been paying this new price, but the increase is now becoming official for legacy subscribers.
That’s essentially another $12 per year which, in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t sound like a lot. But if you consider that two, three, many even more services to which you subscribe all went up by that much, the number isn’t so palatable.
With that said, every streaming service cites the need to increase pricing to continue delivering solid original content. Disney+, of course, is home to all the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series, most recently Agatha All Along as well as favourites like Loki. It also offers the entire Star Wars content vault long with new shows like Andor and Ahsoka. There are also tons of content from Disney, National Geographic, and more.
Yes, the hits keep coming. But it was less than a year ago that Disney+ announced a price hike. The changes went into effect November 1, 2023, first reflected on December 24, 2023 and saw the Premium plan go up from $11.99 to $14.99. Thus, that’s a $4 per month increase in one year. So, Disney+ subscribers will be paying $48 more per year than they were just 12 months ago.
The Disney+ Standard plan became the new $11.99/mo. plan at that time, which limits playback to 1,080p HD versus 4K in the Premium plan, offers two concurrent streams versus four, and 5.1 audio versus Dolby Atmos. It has since gone up to $12.99/mo., and this price will come into effect for existing subscribers next month, too. There’s also Disney+ Standard With Ads for $7.99/mo. that’s identical to Disney+ Standard but, of course, with ads. Pricing for this tier will presumably remain the same.
For existing subscribers who received this notice, you will be automatically charged the new fee unless you cancel your plan before the next billing cycle. Those in Quebec can refuse the increase by cancelling the subscription up to 30 days after the next payment date without cost or penalty.
Any way you slice it, price increases are never welcome, especially when they come in small increments consistently, adding up over time. This increase isn’t all that detrimental: an extra buck a month isn’t a massive setback, nor is $48 more per year when accounting for last year’s hike as well compared to what you paid through 2023. Considering how much you might have been paying for traditional cable or satellite, that’s a drop in the hat. Plus, Disney+ offers a fantastic catalogue of content in Canada to appeal to all ages, from The Simpsons to Abbott Elementary, The Bear to Only Murders in the Building, Inside Out 2 to Deadpool. At times like this, chances are you’ll be turning to the streaming service for popular holiday movies, like Home Alone, The Santa Clause, and Miracle of 24th Street.
Bottom line: no one likes getting that dreaded e-mail saying pricing is going up. But when it comes to bang for your buck, Disney+ offer that in spades.