Disney’s Price Hike Announcement Is Met With Outrage and Taunting: ‘Timing Couldn’t Be Worse’
After days of backlash over the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show, Disney shocked subscribers by announcing a price hike. On Tuesday, Sept. 23, the day Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to the air, Disney told Disney+ and Hulu subscribers that the cost of their subscription is going to increase. While this plan has likely been in the works for a long time, people are still shocked that the company chose to announce it after a week of backlash and boycotts.
Disney announced a price hike on their streaming service
On Sept. 23, Kimmel returned to the air after a week-long suspension. That same day, Disney+ and Hulu subscribers learned that they’d soon be paying more for their subscriptions. On Oct. 21, the standalone cost of Disney+ and Hulu, as well as bundle packages, will cost several dollars more each month.
Several premium bundles will not bump up in price. The cost of other plans and bundles will increase by up to $3.00, though.
People are shocked that Disney is raising their prices
The announcement comes after a week of backlash from all corners of the country. Over 400 celebrities signed a letter condemning the company’s decision to yank Kimmel’s show from the air. Politicians from both sides of the aisle expressed concern over the ramifications the move would have for free speech. Many Disney+ and Hulu subscribers also canceled their subscriptions in protest.
Because of this, people were blown away when Disney announced price hikes. While it happens frequently, this week certainly didn’t feel like a great time to ask for more money.
“Not a great time to announce that,” wrote one Reddit user.
“Oh my god their timing couldn’t be worse LMFAO,” added another person. “Be serious.”
While some people wondered if this was a way to make up for lost profits after a wave of cancellations, others acknowledged that the price hikes had likely been planned for months. It still didn’t feel like a good move, though.
“Damn. I know this was planned before all the Kimmel stuff but nobody thought ‘Hey, let’s hold off on this for a tiny bit,’” wrote one person. “Like I know we got short attention spans but not that short.”
“They have got to be kidding me,” added another person. “If they had any sense at all they would’ve postponed or cancelled this announcement.”
Many people noted that constant price hikes are hard to take, even for people who weren’t upset about Kimmel’s suspension.
“I’m crying laughing,” wrote one person. “There’s got to be people who were unsure about canceling before who are definitely going to delete their subscription now!”
“Lol, even those who stuck with Disney despite everything going on lately, will probably end up canceling their subscriptions,” added someone else. “This is just the latest in a series of price hikes.”
The company ended Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension
After nearly a week of mounting public pressure, Disney announced that they ended Kimmel’s suspension.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” said the Walt Disney Company in a statement (per People). “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
Kimmel returned on Sept. 23 with guests Glen Powell and Sarah McLachlan.
