Price hikes have hit a number of streaming services of late, and it looks like sports-focused ESPN+ will be next in line. Per Sports Business Journal, the annual price for ESPN+ will jump from $49.99 to $59.99 starting on Jan. 8th, 2021. The move reportedly marks the first price increase for the annual plan since its April 2018 launch. The monthly price of $5.99 for ESPN+ is expected to continue unchanged.
Meanwhile, UFC pay-per-view events, which ESPN+ users can sign up for through the service, will also go up from $64.99 to $69.99 starting on Jan. 8th. As is often the case with price increases, ESPN reportedly cited the ongoing cost of producing both live sports and original content as part of its reasoning for the move. On the bright side, existing subscribers can renew their annual plans at the current, $49.99 price until at least March 2.
The price increase to the annual plan follows similar changes to streaming bundles that include ESPN+ as part of a package. At its Investor Day online event earlier this month, Disney outlined price hikes coming to the Disney bundle the includes Disney+, ad-supported Hulu, and ESPN+ — going from $12.99 to $13.99 per month. The monthly cost for Disney+ itself will also go up from $6.99 to $7.99, while the annual Disney+ price will rise from $69.99 to $79.99. Those increases are expected to take effect in March of 2021.