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Few things make me as frustrated as a grown man than annual streaming cost increases. Disney Plus is the worst – I've lamented multiple times over the past couple of years that when Disney+ launched in 2019, the 4K package cost just $89.99 a year.
Since then, regular price increases pushed that up to $20.99/month or $209.99/year since last February. But now, that price is increasing again.
But if you can't afford the extra cost the "good" news is that Disney is enshittifying the service with ads, with a new $9.99/month tier.
The new "Standard with Ads" plan launched on 21 April, available to subscribers in Australia and New Zealand. For $9.99 a month you get 1080p Full HD streaming across two concurrent streams, with no option to download content for offline viewing.
The trade-off is, obviously, ads. Disney hasn't published details on ad frequency or minutes per hour, but the company says its local advertising team handles sales exclusively for the Australian and New Zealand market.
It's also worth knowing that ads aren't exclusive to the cheapest tier. All Disney+ plans, including Premium, can include ads served in live sports, linear programming, trailers, and promotional content.
The Premium plan has been repriced to $24.99 a month (or $249.99 a year), up from $20.99/month. That brings the annual 4K package from its launch price of $89.99 in 2019 to $249.99 today.
The Standard plan sits at $17.99 a month or $179.99 a year, up from the $15.99/month or $159.99/year price increase from last February.
Here's how the three plans compare:
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Resolution | Streams | Downloads | Audio | Ads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard with Ads | $9.99 | N/A | 1080p Full HD | 2 | No | 5.1 | Yes |
| Standard | $17.99 | $179.99 | 1080p Full HD | 2 | Up to 10 devices | 5.1 | No* |
| Premium | $24.99 | $249.99 | 4K UHD/HDR | 4 | Up to 10 devices | Dolby Atmos | No* |
*All plans may include ads in live sports, linear programming, and promotional content.
Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand, said the new tier gives audiences "greater choice and flexibility" when accessing Disney's content lineup, including ESPN sports programming.
I'm not against the price increases in and of themselves. The reality is that there's a lot more content on the Disney+ platform compared to launch in 2019, and that those shows and movies (and sport) costs money to produce.
But an extra $20 a year is overkill, especially during a cost of living crisis.
My current subscription is due for renewal in November. Last year I downsized from the Premium tier to Standard, but this year I think I'll be hard-pressed to keep the sub at all.
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