During its Q3 2022 fiscal year earning webcast, Disney has announced that its streaming platform, Disney Plus, will see a price hike later this year. Additionally, it also revealed that a new and cheaper ad-supported tier will be added to the service’s subscription options around the same time.
The price revision will see an increase from US$ 7.99 (~RM 35.53) to US$ 10.99 (~RM 48.87) for the monthly Disney Plus subscription. Disney says that the move comes as the company is looking to restructure its pricing options, though it did not state a reason as to why the decision is considered in the first place. For the local market, Disney Plus is offered at RM 54.90 for three months, which essential equates to RM 18.30 per month.
Ironically, the US$ 7.99 price tag isn’t actually going away. According to the company, the upcoming ad-supported subscription tier for Disney Plus will be charged at this rate, which would undoubtedly raise some eyebrows. Basically, this means that users who wish to stick with the existing price range once the new change is implemented will have their ad-free experience stripped away. Maintaining this experience, on the other hand, will cost them an additional US$ 2 (~RM 8.89).
That being said, Disney did not detail on how advertisements will be incorporated into its streaming. During the earnings call, company CEO Bob Chapek said that this new subscription tier will have “lower ad loads and frequency to ensure a great experience for viewers.” Additionally, he assured that no ads will run on kids’ profiles.
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The upcoming price hike and introduction of the new ad-supported subscription tier are going into effect on 8 December 2022. On that note, Disney Plus users in Malaysia can breathe a sigh of relief as the changes are only slated to be implemented in the US region, at least for now. It is still uncertain whether other countries that offer Disney’s streaming platform will be affected in the near future. But should this be the case, you can expect local service providers to issue an official statement regarding any changes.
On a somewhat related note, Disney Plus’ closest rival Netflix is also expected to introduce its own ad-supported subscription tier by early 2023. Even though the company has confirmed the move, it has yet to officially disclose further details regarding it. And much like Disney’s service, it is not known whether this would be rolled out globally when the time comes.
(Source: Disney [official website], via The Verge)
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