Our Family is Subtracting Disney+
It's about that time to discuss how much Disney+ keeps adding up
It is very safe to say that streaming services have taken hold of our entertainment worlds. Though, it is quite clear the model has changed and “streaming” does not seem to have the same meaning it did even a few years ago.
Netflix used to promote password sharing, until banning it entirely. Prime Video used to be ad-free, until requiring a monthly fee to be ad-free. And Disney+ started its streaming platform at $69.99, until we looked up what our bill* for this December would be. To be clear, it didn’t magically jump from nearly $70 to nearly $169 overnight. No, it only took about 5 or 6 years.
At what point in time will companies just state outright, “We don’t care enough about the consumer to worry about increasing our price by 141% over 6 years.”
So, have streaming services like Disney+ decided to follow the cable TV playbook of constantly increasing its prices regardless of longevity or loyalty? Well, it does seem difficult to argue against that idea, because that $69.99 price tag lasted for only two years for us. Then, it jumped up to around $85. The next year jumped up to about $117. Then last year’s bill saw a jump to $148 and change (about 112% increase).
What the actual?
At what point in time will companies just state outright, “We don’t care enough about the consumer to worry about increasing our price by 141% over 6 years,” because that’s what it feels like to me.
Well, this family is going to hit the stop button by cancelling our subscription. Not that I believe it matters to anyone associated with Disney+ that our family is cancelling. And it is a shame, because I do enjoy the programming. I enjoy rewatching Iron Man. I love discovering the next paths for Mando and Grogu. Disney+ has even expanded its lineup of available shows and movies, which is a nice bonus to anyone expanding their home theater experience.
But the price increases have given my wife and I the “I don’t care about you” vibes we’ve felt too often from the constantly increased cost of cable and internet in our former years. FYI: We haven’t had cable for over a decade.
So, who should we go to next to supplement Disney+? Should we give Netflix a try, despite the negative feelings I have associated with a company who expressly promoted password sharing to then stop for reasons we should’ve seen coming? We do have Prime Video and I’m already a huge fan of Reacher and maybe bring back Paper Girls, please.
Share your thoughts with me. What streaming service would you recommend not named Disney+? We’re in the market, but who knows, maybe we’ll just pocket that extra money and use it towards our summer vacations.
*I did not screenshot the upcoming bill, highlighting the nearly $169 bill, and that’s on me. It currently only highlights an annual $139.99 if we renew, but only shows the previous two years’ billing history ($148.40 and $116.59).