Beginning August 13, the price of ESPN+ will increase to $6.99/month or $69.99/year, up from $5.99/month or $59.99/year. The price of the Disney bundle with Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu, which starts at $13.99/month, will not increase. The price of UFC pay per view events will also not increase.
ESPN+ last raised its prices at the same time last year, when the monthly cost went from $4.99/month to $5.99/month.
The streaming service has 13.8 million subscribers, according to the most recently reported numbers during Disney’s Q2 earnings report. In that Q2 announcement, Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company noted that Disney “focused on ramping up our operations while also fueling long-term growth for the company.” He went on to mention a focus on “the expansion of our unrivaled portfolio of multiyear sports rights deals for ESPN and ESPN+” which was likely a factor in the company’s decision to raise the price of the service.
Disney is one potential bidder for the NFL’s Sunday Ticket. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger commented in 2020 that Disney could be interested in rights to Sunday Ticket, along with potentially getting simulcast rights for Monday Night Football on ESPN and ABC. Sunday Ticket would be a huge addition for ESPN+ which recently made a deal with the NHL to bring 75 national regular season games exclusively to ESPN+, along with Stanley cup matches. The streaming service also has deals in place for coverage of PGA Tour events, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, MLB games.