Between the Disney catalog and the new additions afforded by the likes of Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, the upcoming Disney+ streaming service already seems like a bargain. Even so, the question that has plagued potential subscribers and industry analysts (not to mention the competition at Netflix and Amazon) is one of a potential bundle. Disney previously revealed that subscribers can sign up for monthly ($6.99) or annual ($69.99) plans but said next to nothing about a rumored bundled deal. On Tuesday, this changed.
According to The Verge, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed the release date and the cost for a new streaming bundle that will include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. On November 12th, the bundle will be made available for the monthly price of $12.99 — a price that, as the report notes, “is cheaper than or on par with competitive streaming services” like Amazon and Netflix. Prime is currently set at $119 per year, or around $12.99 a month. Netflix’s most popular plan also costs $12.99 a month, though it also offers cheaper and more expensive subscriptions at $8.99 and $15.99 per month.
Hulu, which features a basic $5.99 a month plan with ads and an ad-free one worth $11.99 a month, is no longer considered a direct competitor thanks to Disney’s owning a majority stake in it. (This resulted from Disney’s recent buyout of 20th Century Fox.) So, it actually makes perfect sense that the parent company would want to bundle the early Netflix competitor with Disney+ for its own original programming and licensed content.
(Via The Verge)
