Disney Announces ESPN+ Fee Increase

Disney is set to increase the monthly subscription fees of their sports streaming service, ESPN+ by US $3 (AUD$4) to US$9.99 (AUD$14.61) a month or US$99.99 a year (AUD$146), with the new prices coming into effect on 23 August.

Disney last increased ESPN+ prices in August 2020 and August 2021 by US$1 (AUD$1.40), however this new price increase marks a significant shift driven partly by economic factors including an increase in the cost of living and rising inflation rates.

The change in pricing comes after various sports streaming services increased their fees earlier this year, including Optus Sport charging customers AUD$6.99 and AUD$24 for the public, DAZN US subscription costing US$19.99 (AUD $29) and Kayo Sports raising their fees to AUD$27.99.

ESPN+ has approximately 22.3 million subscribers while their ownership’s streaming platform, Disney+, has 137.7 million subscribers worldwide, with the company aiming to reach between 230 million and 260 million subscribers by 2040

Worldwide, sports streaming services offer more than 22,000 live sports events including football, tennis, rugby, the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Formula 1, Major League Baseball and many more.