Disney Plus is getting a massive price hike in early March, but you still have time to score one more year of the service at its current price with all the premium perks.
From March 5, 2024, Disney Plus is finally introducing tiered subscription plans nearly five years after its introduction to Australia and New Zealand. You’ll be able to choose between a Standard plan, which comes with two concurrent streams, for AU$13.99 per month or AU$139 per year, or the Premium plan, which comes with four simultaneous streams plus Dolby Atmos support and 4K content for AU$17.99 / NZ$18.99 per month or AU$179 / NZ$189 per year. However if you hurry, you can get all those Premium plan perks at the Standard plan rate for one more year.
At the time of writing, Disney Plus only has one subscription tier and it gives you four streams and access to every feature on Disney Plus, including 4K content and Dolby Atmos audio for AU$139 / NZ$149 per year, which is set to become the new Premium plan from March 5. This means you can effectively get one more year of Disney Plus Premium with a saving of AU$40 / NZ$40 off up until your next billing date.
Plus with big shows like The Bear, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Mandalorian, Echo and many more, it’s well worth jumping onto Disney Plus for this price, even if it’s just for one more year.
Analysis: how does Disney Plus compare to the other streamers?
Disney Plus is one of the best streaming services right now, but its new pricing structure could make way for some of the other streamers to rise further up in the ranks.
Despite the new tiered subscriptions, Disney will still beat Netflix when it comes to price, with the exception of the Standard with ads tier (AU$6.99 per month) offered by the latter in Australia. Netflix currently costs AU$16.99 / NZ$20.99 per month for the Standard ad-free tier with two HD streams or AU$22.99 / NZ$27.99 per month for the Premium plan with four 4K streams, and Netflix doesn’t offer a saving on yearly subscriptions like Disney Plus does.
However, Amazon Prime Video does and this is where Disney Plus might face some fierce competition. You can subscribe to Prime Video for AU$9.99 / NZ$7.99 per month, or AU$79 per year, though New Zealanders will have to pay NZ$10.99 per month for Prime as of March 4. Compared to Disney’s prices, Prime Video is still a more affordable subscription service, plus Aussies also get the shopping perks associated with Amazon Prime without any extra cost.
Though, if you’re at a point where you need to choose a single subscription service, content is going to be the main factor to take into consideration. Disney Plus’ library is diverse, especially as Star is included in the package for both Aussies and Kiwis, plus it also caters to die-hard fans of Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and Disney. So if you fit into one of those categories, a Disney Plus subscription will be well worth the cost.
Additionally, if you don’t need four concurrent streams or don’t care for 4K or Dolby Atmos audio, you’re all set to continue enjoying Disney Plus at its current price on the Standard plan, though this could change in the future as Disney continues to refine its pricing structure. Be sure to check your plan by March 4, especially if you’re on a month-to-month plan, to make sure you’re on the one that best suits your needs and budget.