Disney has surpassed Netflix when it comes to the total number of subscribers. The company announced that its current streaming services, which consist of Disney+, ESPN and Hulu have amassed 220.67 million users in total. Disney+ alone currently sits at 152.1 million This is the first time Disney has managed to catch up to Netflix even after the company lost a million users in the first half of 2022.
Sadly, things aren’t going to be this great for Disney going forward. The company recently lost a bidding war for streaming cricket in India. The company lost rights to stream cricket on Disney+ meaning it will likely lose a lot of subscribers. India makes up a massive chunk of Disney+’s current user base.
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Disney has also announced that its streaming services will cost more starting in October. The company is launching a new ad-based service that will be free for all users instead of paying the current $7,99. However, a new ad-free tier called “Disney+ Premium” will cost users $10,99. So everyone who is currently subscribed to Disney+ for $7,99 will automatically be moved to the new “with ads” tier with the option to upgrade to a “no ads” tier for $10,99.
The company is also making changes to its format by adding together all its streaming services into one bundle. You can subscribe to the Disney Bundle With Ads for $9,99 or without ads for $19,99. The best bundle includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN without ads.
Of course, South Africans don’t need to worry about the price hike on the service. At the moment, our Disney+ platform (even though it barely works properly) is remaining R119 per month with no price hike announced just yet. If Disney were to increase the price in South Africa, it would be a cheek considering how lacklustre the experience has been since its initial launch in May.