It’s been just about four years since The Walt Disney Company launched its very own streaming platform, Disney+. Disney+ was launched in November 2019, but it was not the only streamer owned by Disney. Earlier that year — in May 2019 — Comcast relinquished its majority shares in Hulu to Disney. Because Disney owned both streamers, as well as ESPN, it launched the Disney Bundle. Guests were able to purchase the Disney Bundle and able to stream Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, but only pay one set price.
On August 9, 2023, Disney held its third-quarter earnings call. During the call, CEO Bob Iger talked about the struggles that Disney+ has been facing, but said that the company was always looking for ways to bring new options to its streaming subscribers. He then announced that beginning September 6, Guests would have a new Disney Bundle option to choose from. They will be able to bundle Disney+ with no ads along with Hulu with no ads for just $19.99 per month. That is a 37% discount for subscribers who are paying for both separately.
Subscribers currently have three Disney Bundles to choose from — the Duo Basic, which is Disney+ (With Ads), Hulu (With Ads), the Trio Premium: Disney+ (No Ads), Hulu (No Ads), ESPN+ (With Ads), and Trio Basic: Disney+ (With Ads), Hulu (With Ads), ESPN+ (With Ads).
In addition to announcing the new Bundle package, Iger said that price increases would be coming to both Disney+ and Hulu. Those who subscribe to the ad-free tier of Disney+ will see their monthly bill go from $10.99 per month to $14.99 per month. All Hulu Live TV packages will see an increase of $7 per month. The ad-supported tier of Disney+ will remain at $7.99 per month.
Even though it is only four years old, Disney+ has proved to be a headache for both Iger and his predecessor, Bob Chapek. Chapek said that Disney+ would be profitable by 2024, and Iger is doing his best to make that happen. Iger said that Disney is being more mindful of budgets for all Disney+ productions. The company will also be cutting down on the amount of original content it is making.
Disney has also removed content from Disney+ that was not performing well, as Iger said it was becoming too expensive to pay to support shows that audiences were not watching. This new, strict look at Disney+ has resulted in the cancelation of several shows, including The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Turner & Hooch, National Treasure: Edge of History, and Willow. Willow, Turner & Hooch, and National Treasure were all canceled after just one season.
While Bob Iger might be dealing with the headache that is Disney+ now, Bob Chapek is still dealing with the decisions he made about the streamer when he was CEO. Chapek — along with former Disney CFO Christine McCarthy and Kareem Daniel — is being sued by a group of investors. The investors claim that Chapek, McCarthy, and Daniel intentionally misled them about actual Disney+ subscriber numbers and the reality of the streamer’s profitability.
