The Mouse House is set to increase its Disney+ subscription prices on 1 November under a revamped set of packages.
Disney’s existing plan, which will now be called Premium, in which you get ad-free viewing on four devices in 4K and downloadable content on four devices, will jump from £7.99 a month to £10.99 a month.
Yearly, that constitutes a £36 annual increase on a monthly rolling subscription, or a £30 annual increase if you pay for the year upfront.
There will still be the option to keep paying the current price of £7.99 per month under a Standard subscription at 1080p on just two devices, while an ad-based subscription will be available for £4.99 per month.
Credit: Money Saving Expert
Disney+’s price hike follows Apple TV+’s recent hike from £6.99 a month to £8.99 a month.
Earlier this month, we saw Netflix bump its Premium subscription price by £2 to £17.99 a month, an additional £24 per year.
That plan gives you ad-free viewing on four devices at 4K with downloads available on six devices.
Amazon Prime has kept its price (for now) at £7.99 a month or £95 a year with an upfront payment.
Paramount Plus UK has you shelling out £6.99 per month, or £69.90 when buying an annual subscription.
It is without a doubt becoming more and more expensive to stream the top four services. Put together, the yearly price, when taking out an annual Premium subscription where available, for the above comes to £382.77.
But let’s compare that with Sky’s typical package including movies and the Sky Sports add-on (which let’s face it, is Sky’s main USP).
Together, you’re looking at £57 a month or £684 yearly, though if you’re after the full TNT Sports package, which also includes UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches, that number comes up to £780.
The sweetener is that every Sky TV package already comes loaded with a Basic Netflix subscription, but considering the level of customisability when it comes to your streaming options, Sky TV is still a pricier way to go.
Savvy streamers can also cancel and renew their subscriptions on a monthly basis without cancellation fees, allowing for dynamic binge-watching sessions. There are also free trials and discount offerings to be found.
Of course, that comes with a lot of juggling of subscription plan, where a Sky TV package lets you plug in and forget about it.
Which is better? That’s all a matter of opinion of course.