On Friday, Disney+ announced that it will soon offer a cheaper ad-supported subscription plan. It's the latest in a series of changes made by on-demand streaming service providers, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max and Hulu.
Pricing for the new tier hasn't been announced yet, but it's assumed to be cheaper than Disney's current ad-free offering, which costs $7.99 per month. There is no launch date announced, either, but Disney says it will be available later this year.
The move capitalizes on a growing market for cheaper ad-supported plans as Disney aims to grow its subscriber base of 118 million to better compete with Netflix, which has 222 million global subscribers, CNBC reported.
How the major streaming services compare
In the last year, many of the major on-demand providers have hiked prices and introduced new, ad-free tiers that you might not be aware of. Here's how the subscription plans stack up:
- Amazon Prime Video: On its own, Amazon's streaming service is $8.99 per month, although you can get a student membership for $7.49 per month. The service is included with an Amazon Prime membership, which recently went up to $139 per year.
- Apple TV+: A monthly subscription is available for $4.99 per month after a free 7-day trial. You can also get three months free with the purchase of an Apple product.
- Disney+: Currently $7.99 per month, or $79.99 per year. You can also get the Disney+ bundle, which includes access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu, for $13.99 per month. The bundle is $19.99 per month with the ad-supported version of Hulu.
- Discovery+: The ad-supported tier costs $4.99 per month and the ad-free tier costs $6.99 per month. There's also a 7-day trial for new subscribers, as well as a discounted student plan, which costs $2.99 per month.
- HBO Max: An ad-supported tier priced at $9.99 per month was added last May. The ad-free version is $14.99 per month, with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers.
- Hulu: Basic options include an ad-supported plan for $6.99 per month and an ad-free version for $12.99 per month. The first month is free for new subscribers for either plan. Hulu also offers a live TV plan, which includes access to ESPN+ and Disney+. The Live TV plan includes both ad-free or ad-supported versions, for $75.99 per month and $69.99 per month, respectively.
- Netflix: Plans vary by the quality of the stream, with Basic, Standard and Premium plans costing $9.99 per month, $15.49 per month and $19.99 per month, respectively. The resolution options are 4K for Premium, 1080p for standard and 480p for Basic. These are new, recently raised prices, and will be effective by the end of March for current subscribers.
- Peacock: There are three tiers: a free ad-supported plan, a Premium ad-supported plan with additional content for $4.99 per month and an ad-free Plus plan for $9.99 per month.
- Paramount Plus: An ad-supported Essential plan was launched last summer for $4.99 per month, or $49.99 per year. The ad-free Premium version is $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year. There's also a Showtime add-on that adds monthly costs of $11.99 and $14.99, for the Essential and Premium plans, respectively. Both the Essential and Premium plans have a 7-day free trial period.
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Money Report
Disclosure: Peacock is the streaming service of NBCUniversal, parent company of CNBC.
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