Disney is set to hike the monthly subscription fee for ESPN+ by one dollar, though the bundle that includes the sports streaming service will remain the same price.
Credit: Disney
In August 2021, ESPN+ will cost $7 a month, up from $6. The move mirrors a similar price hike for the Disney+ streaming service back in December 2020.
According to Deadline, the price for Disney's bundle that includes Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu will remain unchanged. Similarly, Disney won't raise the prices of its pay-per-view UFC rights.
During its most recent earnings report, Disney said that ESPN+ had 13.8 million subscribers. However, the company didn't reveal how many of those customers subscribed to a bundle instead of the ESPN+ service alone.
ESPN+ launched in April 2018 with a $5-a-month price tag. At the time, it had a limited number of live offerings for viewers, though it has since added more programming.
Disney is said to be one of the biggest bidders for the NFL Sunday Ticket deal. The current deal is set to expire after 2022 and the NFL is looking for a streaming partner. Current contenders include Disney and Apple, although the latter company is reportedly not seen to be as serious as others.
Apple, which has not raised the price of its Apple TV+ streaming service since launch, has yet to break into live sports programming. The Cupertino tech giant has expressed interest in the space in the past, however.
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