In April of last year, The Walt Disney Company held an Investor Day, with the headlining topic being their then-upcoming streaming service Disney+. While the content announcements excited fans, perhaps the biggest reveal was the price: $6.99 a month. Cut to the 2020 Investor Day held yesterday and now that impressively-low price is set to increase. However, Disney is giving potential subscribers plenty of time to lock-in the lower rate for a while longer.
Starting on March 26th, 2021, Disney+ will increase one dollar to $7.99 a month. In turn, the Disney Bundle (Disney+, ad-supported Hulu, and ESPN+) will go from $12.99 to $13.99 a month. On that note, Disney will also be rolling out a new option for the bundle where customers can choose to replace the ad-supported Hulu component with the ad-free version for an additional $6 a month. Meanwhile, the current annual subscription rate of $69.99 per year will be adjusted accordingly to $79.99 come March. Of course, with more than two months before this pricing takes effect, now may be the time to take advantage of that annual rate if you’re currently on the monthly subscription plan or have considered becoming a Disney+ subscriber.
Back when Disney+ was first rolled out, I did note that the service was lacking a bit in terms of content as many of the marquee series (namely those from Marvel Studios) were still a ways away. Well, now that time is upon us as WandaVision is slated to kick-off in January, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is set for March, and Loki will arrive in May. Elsewhere, the second season of The Mandalorian is well underway and has continued to delight even lower-tier Star Wars fans like myself.
Looking ahead, Disney literally announced more than 100 projects yesterday, many of which will be exclusive to their streaming platforms. While the list of upcoming series and films is too long to list, some of the one’s that caught my attention during the presentation included a Rescue Rangers film starring Andy Samberg and John Mulaney; new series from Walt Disney Animation Studios such as Tiana, Baymax!, and Moana, the Series; the previously-announced Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which has now added Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader to the cast; and even a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special that just sounds ridiculously fun. Again, this is a small fraction of what was unveiled, so I’d recommend checking out the Disney fan site I work for, LaughingPlace.com, for much more.
Even though I signed up for a three-year Disney+ subscription at the 2019 D23 Expo, it wasn’t until recently that we’ve started making the platform a key part of our entertainment line-up. That trend seems as though it will only intensify as it rolls out tons of new and exciting stuff over the next few years — with CEO Bob Chapek stating that fans can look forward to new originals every week. That said, as a trade-off for this increased investment, the first price increase is on its way. So, if you want to save a few bucks and have $70 to spare, now may be the time to upgrade to or purchase an annual Disney+ subscription for yourself.