When Disney-owned ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air on Sept. 17, an estimated 3 million viewers cancelled their Disney+ subscriptions, while a further 4.1 million cancelled their Hulu accounts. (1).
Even radio jockey Howard Stern jumped in, saying he dumped his Disney+ subscription in support of his pal Kimmel (2).
The backlash was so intense that Jimmy Kimmel was back on air seven days later — but not without a hit to the reputations of the networks and their parent company.
Still, the boycott didn’t deter Disney+ from announcing plans to raise their subscription prices. At the end of September, Disney announced plans to raise prices for U.S. subscribers, with plans to introduce similar price increases across Canada, the U.K. and other markets in November. Disney+ raised its prices twice in Canada in 2024, with all three tiers increasing by $1 the second time around.
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How much more you’ll pay
It’s reported that Disney+ monthly subscriptions will go up as much as $3 depending on the tier. Here’s a comparison of the new prices for ad-supported plans and ad-free plans.
Ad-supported: Disney+’s Standard with Ads plan will remain unchanged at $8.99 a month.
Ad-free: Disney+’s Standard ad-free plan will be $15.99 (up from $12.99). Its Premium ad-free tier will now cost one dollar more at $16.99.
These price hikes are already in effect for new subscribers, whereas those with existing accounts will see the new changes on their bill on or after November 4 (3).
That said, Disney has announced that Hulu is now available worldwide, including Canada. The service will come as a change to its current Star feature, essentially becoming Hulu (4).
How are other streaming services keeping up?
Here is a comparison between Disney+, with its new pricing model, compared to other streaming giants in Canada:
Netflix (all plans are charged monthly): Standard plan with ads: $7.99 Standard plan ad-free: $18.99 Premium plan: $23.99
Amazon Prime: $9.99 monthly or $99 annually — this is for the tier without ads: the standard price is $6.99 with ads
Apple TV+: $14.99 monthly or $129 annually Apple One bundles start at $22.95 for an Individual plan
Paramount+: Essential plan for $7.99 monthly or $58.99 annually Premium plan for $12.99 monthly or $119.99 annually
Crave: Basic with ads $8.99 monthly Premium ad-free $22.00 monthly
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Streaming no longer a cheap option
With nearly every major platform announcing routine hikes, what was once the “cheap escape from cable” has turned into a lineup of bills that rival — and in some cases exceed — the old cable bundle.
Consumers can easily spend $100 every month to catch hit releases spread across the various options available to consumers. For example, speaking with CNBC, Barbara Snedegar and her husband stream multiple platforms as they travel in their RV. She told the news outlet that even though streaming services’ occasional price hikes may not seem like a lot, they add up over time (5).
“When you first subscribe, you get these really good prices that suck you in,” she said. “Then they email and tell you prices are going up by some piddly amount like maybe $1 or $2. Next thing you know, you’re paying at least double what it started out to be.”
While Disney still boasts 128 million streaming subscribers, even a small percentage of cancellations can sting in a competitive market where Wall Street scrutinizes every quarterly number (6).
That context makes the price hike risky. Raising rates after alienating part of your base may backfire, pushing some households to cancel permanently instead of trimming elsewhere.
Are the rising costs worth it?
For consumers, the big question is whether streaming still delivers value.
A family subscribing to the basic tiers of Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Crave, Netflix and Paramount+ could pay nearly $50 every month just for those five services. Premium plans could double this cost to almost $100 monthly.
Add Disney+ and StackTV (an add-on through your Amazon Prime membership), and the total can hit nearly $150 a month — more than most traditional cable packages.
Are all those platforms really necessary? For many, the answer is no. Content overlap means you’re often paying multiple companies for shows and movies you already have access to, or could live without.
If the bills feel overwhelming, there are ways to cut costs without entirely giving up services:
- Rotate subscriptions: Sign up for one or two services at a time, binge the shows you want, then cancel and move on to the next.
- Bundle carefully: Some companies, like Apple, offer discounted bundles of AppleTV+, Apple Music and its various other services. Check if it’s cheaper than paying separately.
- Use ad-supported tiers: They’re annoying, sure, but ad tiers can save you $5 to $10 a service each month.
- Leverage free options: Platforms like CBC Gem, Plex, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel and Tubi offer thousands of shows and movies, also supported by ads, without monthly fees. Better yet there’s Kanopy, which is accessible with a library card and is stocked with ad-free content of popular and important films, television shows and other visual media.
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Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
The New York Times (1); Variety (2, 6); Mobile Syrup (3, 4); CNBC (5);
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.