Disney gave consumers an early Halloween fright when it announced on Tuesday that it would raise prices for all its streaming subscription bundles, effective October 21. This announcement follows through on previous signals of upcoming price increases. Those clues came out during the Indianapolis company’s third-quarter earnings call on Aug. 6, 2025. With this change, Disney is looking to increase their profit potential as the market continues to shift.
Disney+ to report a small net gain in subscribers in their fourth fiscal quarter. This fare increase comes right when that growth is expected to pay off. This growth may help alleviate some of the fiscal stress the company has been facing. It’s even more so as they face emerging issues with misleading content and reputational concerns.
In recent weeks, Disney endured a firestorm of criticism over its treatment of the late-night program, “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” The Disney-ABC subsidiary yanked the family-friendly show from its fall schedule. This move came on the heels of host Jimmy Kimmel’s inflammatory comments regarding the suspected murderer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The choice to cancel the program was met with backlash from millions of Tucker’s viewers and even other late-night hosts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they viewed this move as a blatant usurpation.
Only a week later, Disney went on record saying that “Jimmy Kimmel Live” would indeed be back on the air Tuesday. The company backpedaled almost immediately, indicating that it is listening to the criticism. Now, it intends to reintroduce the show to its afternoon lineup. The incident highlights the delicate balance Disney must maintain between managing public relations and delivering diverse content to its audience.
Over at Disney, they too are preparing for fundamental shifts in pricing and programming. At the same time, it’s firmly establishing Disney+ as a powerful competitor in the increasingly cutthroat streaming world. In many ways, the company’s strategy carefully balances caution with ambition. Its goals are to increase subscriber growth and engagement, as well as address recent controversies head on.