Third price rise in three years takes ad-free option to $18.99 (£14) in the US
Disney has raised the cost of its flagship streamer on the same day that it brought back Jimmy Kimmel Live! following the late-night talk show’s controversial temporary suspension.
The US studio yanked the comedian and host Kimmel from ABC “indefinitely” last week after he made remarks following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. A backlash ensued, involving an ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) petition signed by hundreds of Hollywood figures including Tom Hanks and Jennifer Aniston and threats to boycott Disney+.
On Monday, Disney chief exec Bob Iger and his television head Dana Walden said they were restoring the show.
Disney then announced its third subscription fee rise in three years, which will see the cost of basic Disney+ with ads in the US go up by $2 a month to $11.99. The ad-free version increases by $3 to $18.99.
Hulu with ads is also going up by $2 to $11.99, while ad-free Hulu stays at $18.99. All changes come into effect on 21 October. The Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Unlimited bundle is expected to remain at $29.99 for another year.
It is understood Disney had been planning the hikes for some time, although the announcement could hardly have come at a worse time.
In his opening monologue after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was reinstated on Tuesday night, an emotional Kimmel said: “Our government cannot be allowed to control what we do or do not say on television,” adding as his voice broke: “You understand it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man […] Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual.”
A wide-ranging address saw Kimmel go on to say that violence was never a solution; lambast the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on journalism and free speech; state his support for fellow late-show host Stephen Colbert, whose The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on CBS will go dark next summer; thank his ABC bosses for restoring the show; and express admiration for Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, who has publicly forgiven the man charged with murdering her husband at a speaking engagement on September 10.
ABC initially pulled Kimmel’s show on September 16 after he told the audience: “We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA [Make America Great Again] gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
ABC and Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media – the latter two control close to 70 affiliate stations – dropped the show after Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr criticised Kimmel on a podcast and intimated that ABC would face consequences unless it took action.
Both Sinclair and Nexstar did not show Jimmy Kimmel Live on their stations on Tuesday and remain in discussions with ABC.
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