Disney+ just got cheaper and more expensive at the same time
Disney+ has launched a new low-cost plan with ads, but it's also bumped up its Standard and Premium prices by $4 a month.
You can now watch Disney+ for $9.99 a month, as long as you're okay with ads popping up from time to time and no download option.
With the new plan and price hikes on the others, there's now an $8 to $15 a month gap between the ad tier and the next plans up.
That's a pretty substantial difference, especially if you're already juggling a few subscriptions.
| Plan | Monthly cost | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Disney+ Standard with Ads | $9.99 | Full HD (up to 1080p) and stream on 2 devices at a time |
| Disney+ Standard | $17.99 | Full HD (up to 1080p), stream on 2 devices at a time and download on up to 10 devices |
| Disney+ Premium | $24.99 | Up to 4K UHD and HDR, stream on 4 devices at a time and download on up to 10 devices |
It was just over a year ago when it lifted the price of its Standard plan from $13.99 to $15.99, and Premium from $17.99 to $20.99.
Disney+ annual plans have also gone up in price
The Standard tier now costs $179.99 a year, which is $20 more than before.
Premium has jumped to $249.99 a year, up by $40.
If you're trying to avoid ads but still save a bit, going annual could be worth it.
Compared to paying monthly, Standard saves you $35.89 a year, while Premium saves $49.89.
However, only sign up for a yearly plan if you know you'll need it.
Otherwise, a good tip to save on streaming costs is to rotate subscriptions instead of holding on to multiple at the same time.
Why has Disney+ launched an ad-tier subscription?
According to the AFR, Disney+ has 3.3 million subscribers in Australia, but its growth has slowed since launching in 2019.
It sits right behind Netflix and Prime Video and is trying to attract more customers with a lower-cost plan.
Kylie Watson-Wheeler, managing director of The Walt Disney Company in Australia and New Zealand, is also hoping the new offer will appeal to companies looking to bundle Disney+ for their customers.
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How does Disney+ ad-tier pricing stack up against other streaming services?
Its ad-tier plan is priced roughly on par with other streaming services like Netflix.
However, Netflix and Prime Video let you download shows while Disney+ doesn't.
Paramount+ is slightly cheaper, but you can stream on only one device at a time, and there's no option to download content.
| Plan | Cost |
|---|---|
| Netflix Standard with ads | $9.99 a month |
| Netflix Standard | $20.99 a month |
| Netflix Premium | $28.99 a month |
| Prime Video with ads | $9.99 a month |
| Prime Video ad-free add-on | $2.99 a month |
| Prime Video annual subscription | $79 a year |
| Paramount+ Basic (with ads) | $7.99 a month |
| Paramount+ Standard | $12.99 a month |
| Paramount+ Premium | $17.99 a month |
| BINGE Basic (with ads) | $10 a month |
| BINGE Standard | $19 a month |
| BINGE Premium | $22 a month |
Although no one's really a fan of ads, having a cheaper option in this cost-of-living crunch is a nice trade-off.
Especially with price hikes hitting at the same time.
Finder's research has found that 1 in 3 Australians have cancelled a streaming subscription in the last 12 months.
Of those who have ditched a subscription, half of them admit they did so to save money.
Sources
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