Disney has announced sweeping price increases across its streaming services, effective October 21, 2025, deepening its push to lift revenue from its direct-to-consumer business.

The move affects standalone Disney+ subscriptions as well as bundles that include Hulu, ESPN, and HBO Max, placing Disney squarely within the broader trend of escalating streaming costs across the industry.

The New Pricing Structure

The changes are extensive:

• The Disney+ ad-supported plan will increase by $2, reaching $11.99 per month.
• The Disney+ Premium (no ads) plan will rise by $3 to $18.99 per month, with the annual option climbing by $30 to $189.99 per year.
• The Disney+ and Hulu ad-supported bundle will increase by $2 per month.
• Both Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN bundles, as well as Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundles, will see a $3 per month hike.

By contrast, NFL+ plans will remain at current prices, offering stability for sports fans.

Disney previously lifted its subscription prices in October 2024, with most plans going up between $1 and $2. Management had hinted at another round of increases during its third-quarter 2025 earnings call, saying it expected only a modest increase in Disney+ subscribers in its fourth fiscal quarter.

The announcement comes at a delicate moment for Disney. The company has faced mounting scrutiny following ABC’s decision last week to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air after the host’s remarks about the alleged killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. After nearly a week of backlash from viewers and other late-night hosts, Disney announced the show’s reinstatement on Tuesday.

During the interim, some fans declared on social media that they were canceling their Disney+ subscriptions in solidarity with Kimmel. The timing of the price hike, coinciding with this controversy, adds to consumer sensitivity around the brand.

How Disney’s Pricing Compares

The streaming market has become increasingly crowded, and price hikes have swept across the industry as companies race toward profitability. Disney’s new pricing now sits alongside — and in some cases above — its biggest rivals.

• Netflix currently charges about $7.99 per month for its ad-supported tier, $17.99 per month for its ad-free standard plan, and $24.99 per month for its premium tier.
• Max (formerly HBO Max) charges around $9.99 per month for its ad-supported tier, with ad-free plans ranging between $16.99 and $20.99 per month depending on features.
• Apple TV+, which has steadily raised prices since its low-cost launch, now costs $12.99 per month in the U.S.

In this landscape, Disney’s $11.99 ad-supported plan is higher than Netflix’s and HBO Max’s entry-level ad tiers, and it matches Apple’s newly elevated price. Its $18.99 premium plan is slightly above Netflix’s standard option and competitive with HBO Max’s higher ad-free offering, though still below Netflix’s premium tier.

Bundles and Consumer Calculus

Disney’s bundle strategy is central to its pricing play. By combining Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, and HBO Max, the company aims to lock in households willing to pay more for multiple services. However, those bundles — all climbing by $3 per month — also raise the baseline that subscribers compare against competitors offering cheaper standalone subscriptions.

Some introductory promotional pricing for bundles will remain available to new users for a limited period, a strategy meant to ease the shock of higher bills and retain customers in the short term.

Industry-Wide Pressures

Streaming companies have been under mounting pressure to justify soaring content budgets, sports rights deals, and technology infrastructure costs. Disney, Netflix, Max, and Apple have all raised prices in 2024–2025, signaling a broader industry move toward prioritizing average revenue per user over rapid subscriber growth.

For Disney, profitability in streaming has only just arrived after years of heavy losses, and higher per-subscriber revenue is essential to sustaining the business. Still, the combination of rising costs and political or reputational controversies, such as the Kimmel affair, risks accelerating churn.

But the price hikes may push some households to cut subscriptions, downgrade to ad-supported tiers, or switch between services depending on promotions. Disney’s decision to leave NFL+ pricing unchanged is likely a strategic attempt to keep its sports audience anchored even as other parts of the streaming package rise in cost.

However, the price hikes reflect both the company’s internal financial priorities and an industry-wide shift toward squeezing more revenue out of existing subscribers. But the timing — arriving in the wake of controversy at ABC — is expected to test customer loyalty.

With its ad-supported tier now more expensive than Netflix’s and HBO Max’s entry-level options, and its premium plan sitting in the middle of the pack, Disney is betting that brand strength, content breadth, and bundled value will outweigh consumer frustration over higher bills.

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has trimmed the benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points, lowering the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) from 27.5 percent in July to 27 percent at its 302nd meeting held September 22–23, 2025.

The decision, reached by the 12-member Committee, marks the most significant signal yet that the apex bank is shifting from a strict inflation-fighting stance toward measures aimed at stimulating economic growth.

The MPC also retained the asymmetric corridor around the MPR at +260 and -250 basis points, providing a framework for liquidity management and underlining the CBN’s cautious approach to potential market volatility.

Governor Olayemi Cardoso, briefing journalists after the meeting, said the decision was predicated on five consecutive months of disinflation, improved macroeconomic stability, and forecasts pointing to further inflation moderation through the rest of the year.

“The stability in the macroeconomic environment offered some headroom for monetary policy to support economic growth and recovery,” Cardoso said.

Key Policy Adjustments

Alongside the rate cut, the Committee announced other liquidity management measures:

• The cash reserve requirement (CRR) for commercial banks was reduced to 45 percent, while that of merchant banks was retained at 16 percent.
• A new 75 percent CRR was imposed on non-TSA public sector deposits, aimed at tightening excess liquidity.
• The liquidity ratio was kept unchanged at 30 percent.
• The standing facilities corridor was adjusted to boost interbank market activity and strengthen monetary policy transmission.

The MPC noted that despite sustained disinflation, excess liquidity in the banking system—largely fueled by fiscal releases from improving government revenues—remained a risk. It stressed that enhancing the effectiveness of the interbank system was critical for transmitting policy changes into real sector outcomes.

Disinflation Momentum and Stability Factors

Committee members pointed to the stronger disinflationary momentum in August 2025, the fastest in five months, as evidence of progress. They attributed this trend to earlier policy tightening, exchange rate stability, a surplus in the current account balance, and rising capital inflows.

They also highlighted the continued moderation in petrol (PMS) prices and increased crude oil production, both of which contributed to easing inflationary pressures.

Private Sector Applause and Cautions

The Center for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) praised the decision as “strategic and well-timed,” describing it as a deliberate shift from stabilization to growth acceleration.

Dr. Muda Yusuf, CEO of CPPE, argued that persistently high interest rates had constrained private sector credit, raised borrowing costs, and slowed business expansion.

“This decision signals a deliberate effort to shift focus from stabilization to accelerating growth,” Yusuf said. “If supported by complementary fiscal measures, it could unlock the economy’s full potential.”

According to CPPE, easing credit conditions should allow banks to expand lending capacity, particularly toward small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are most affected by borrowing costs. The group believes the move could boost investment, enhance capacity utilization, and ultimately support job creation.

Despite the optimism, CPPE emphasized that monetary easing alone will not be enough. The think tank urged fiscal authorities to sustain consolidation efforts, prioritize infrastructure development, and implement structural reforms to attract more capital.

Security challenges, CPPE noted, also remain a major obstacle, undermining rural productivity and discouraging private sector investment.

“If sustained and matched by fiscal discipline, infrastructure delivery, and stronger institutions, this policy direction could position Nigeria on a path toward sustainable, inclusive, and resilient economic growth,” Yusuf added.

Skepticism Over the Pace of Cuts

Some analysts, however, see the reduction as too modest to significantly alter credit conditions. Economist Kalu Aja said, “High Monetary Policy Rates can harm MSMEs, which are crucial for creating jobs. No MSME could borrow at 27.50, none can borrow at 27%. So whilst the CBN is on the right trajectory in its rate cuts, the speed and volume of cuts are also imperative.”

He argued that Nigeria needs a steeper easing cycle, projecting that a rate closer to 15 percent—paired with tax reforms—would meaningfully stimulate enterprise growth.

The MPC’s decision has reopened debates about how effective interest rate adjustments are in fighting inflation in an economy like Nigeria’s. Economists note that rate hikes typically succeed where strong linkages exist between money supply and inflation. In Nigeria, however, supply constraints—particularly in food and services—have often driven price surges more than liquidity levels.

With inflation moderating, the CBN appears to be recalibrating its stance to balance stability with growth. But the effectiveness of the new approach will hinge on whether the fiscal side can deliver structural improvements that enhance productivity and tame the non-monetary drivers of inflation.