Disney is gouging customers with a near doubling of subscription costs.
Disney is raking its customers over the coals with a 75% price hike for their annual subscription (originally $80.) People wonder why piracy is on the rise.
Lol expect MORE and MORE hikes. They know how much money you have, they want it all and they will not stop raising the cost because y'all keep paying it.
Yep, it feels like we're about to see the second wave of piracy, and more and more people are going to dust off their jolly Rogers. $80 was worth it for the catalog, but the price hike is completely unjustifiable. I've already canceled my sub, and I'm betting there will be plenty who do the same. A 75% increase is egregious.
About to see? My friend, we never stopped. Especially now, more people have started to look into self hosting.
I never stopped once I saw that the shit you pay for is not even yours anymore. Unless it's indie games, I just straight up download the game. Could care less about online gaming. (Thx ftp)
Disney made a movie called Crater that was removed from their catalog after just two weeks. It is only available via piracy.
I haven't watched it because that would be illegal, but it's almost like they want us to pirate. Heck, I would never have heard about Final Space if the animator hadn't raised a stink after it got removed from the WB catalog.
Seriously. What is it going to take to get people to cancel? Stop paying overpriced fees until they bring them back down to cost that's worth it. Otherwise they'll just keep getting scammed and never stop. I just don't get it. Don't they understand how economics work or something? Or do they feel like they HAVE to have it?
I just cancelled my subscription. Would've cancelled it ages ago if it wasn't for my wife, but it's time for me to set sail on the high seas again
Not me. Cancelled my subscription.
Streaming platforms are all joining in on the enshitification process.
Soon, people will join one service for one month then switch to the next.
After that, they will all begin contracts to “lock in the price.” Possibly in bundle agreements with multiple providers.
That’s when the full transition to $120+ cable costs returns, but in streaming format.
Considering they're the one who pushed for decades to extend the Copyright period from the original 20 years to "Death of Author + 75 years" (so, around 125+ years), making the entering in our lifetime into the Public Domain of any of the cultural elements we grew up in pretty much de facto impossible, thus breaking the quid-pro-quo of Copyright Legislation, I'm surprised that anybody here sees the Disney Corporation as anything but Evil.
These people did more damage to freedom in modern society (as Copyright also affects things like Software) than anybody else.
I'm doing my part in opting out of copyright because fuck capitalism
I'd be publishing written works in the public domain but I like to be attributed, so copyleft will do for now, it's catchy
Agreed
Honestly till death of auther I can at least understand as many creators like to make characters a part of their identity and after death they are dead how are they going to profit from the ip and what about the fans who I'm most cases can no longer enjoy new content and after saying all of that I probably only think that because of the ip culture created by the legal environment created by Disney
I think it should be a flat number of years like 20 years, giving the author plenty of time to exclusively control his IP and then afterwards they can still profit because they can still make things from the same IP and sell them to people knowing that they were the founder of the IP.
I feel like the death of the author clause gives a perverse incentive to murder the author so that their IP becomes public domain sooner.
Copyright and patent laws need to die.
Just built a 50TB Plex server, get fucked mouse
I guess it wasn't about the price for you then
It's the principal of the matter. Plus it's fun. Get fucked mouse!
over time it probably balances out
Same here. So much better than any streaming service. There's a small initial cost to get started but it's worth every penny.
I canceled last week. I paid to bundle hulu and Disney so I could lock in the year before the price hike. Hulu would never allow me to log in, I spent 7+ hours with tech support over the last month with them literally having me log in and out over and over without doing anything on their end. Never got logged in.
Several times they tried to sell me that I had to accept the ad tier or the one that included ESPN (which you know full well will get bigger cost spikes) despite promising I wouldn't have to change plans.
I finally told them to cancel and refund the days. I haven't pirated in over 4 years, because I finally make enough money and wanted to support content and have easy setup on products as my mom and daughter (outside of household) and my husband and son (in household) depend on me.
I started with a VPN and streaming this week. I will be working on jellyfin in the next week. They could have had my money, but they want to fuck around with my time, money, and content. I'm pissed and done.
I built out the whole stack: clients use jellyfin to watch media and ombi to request it (a friend uses overseerr which seems good too). Internally I'm using sonarr/radarr to manage the library, prowlarr to handle requests, sabnzbd and transmission to download stuff. Altogether this almost completely automates media request and acquisition.
It took a bit of figuring out docker, reverse proxy (using nginx proxy manager), DNS... I got it working though. Someone who has already done networking would find this much simpler but it was new to me.
It's dangerous because I didn't know when to stop lol. I started up some game servers for friends, wrote a borg backup script to periodically save all my configs (and game saves) to two cloud storage services, then started spooling up more services...
That sucks. Tech support can be so annoying sometimes. I'm dealing with it too, although in a very different area. I wish they made it at least easy to give them money.
Good luck with Jellyfin and the other things you'll be doing.
You'll continue to enjoy 12 months for the price of 20.
It's already been cancelled. 🏴☠️
I'm not defending them, but this was clearly always the plan. It was obvious they intended to enter the market just under competitor prices to establish a foothold and then later charge more and reset the industry standard in doing so.
Again, I'm not saying it doesn't suck, because it does, but this was clearly the Disney+ game plan since day 1
Disney’s desperation is showing—just look at their stock price the past 2 years.. down 50%
I’m honestly surprised they didn’t raise their subscription fees sooner. Unfortunately for them it’s a double edged sword, which will cause a lot of people to cancel and quite possibly harm them in the long run.
Meh, might not hurt them, obviously their suits don't think so.
What they're trying to do is convert or lose low-value customers and make high-value customers and save bandwidth at the same time. Fewer high-value customers also has an impact on support costs.
I did the same with my little computer support business. Doubled prices and kept the solid customers.
I straight steal my media, so I don't have a dog in this fight. Actually, I'm a little stunned that anyone pays for this bullshit in the first place.
Disney has for the last few decades positioned itself as a premium product at a premium price (think the entry costs for theme parks, cruises, etc.) much the same way Apple has. They clearly think their content is worth the premium, so they're going for it.
Also, a lot of their best films are going public domain in the coming years, so they need to maintain and grow their revenue stream somehow.
Shedding ABC, eliminating physical media, and increasing streaming prices makes total sense if you think the way they do.
Well, I’m glad they’ve decided to make it an easy choice to sail the salty seas again!
It was always an easy choice.
Only suckers pay for things they can get for free.
For Disney stuff? Why waste your time? Even free is too much to pay for their output.
Yeah. All the good stuff Disney did was released decades ago.
We canceled our yearly subscription in August. Haven't missed any of the content. I mean I've seen what I wanted to regardless. Just not from there.
We did that. Got Disney and spent months binging all the Marvell and Star Wars content then cancelled. There was little else to see for us.
A year later so many new programs came out so we re subscribed but found all the new Star Wars sad. Not sure when we might ever go back.
The Mandalorian had overall been excellent. Really enjoyed that series. Absolutely hated the way they dumped off a good portion of it in the center of book of boba fett. Was not as thrilled with book of boba fett. But it wasn't horrible. It just didn't have the hook that the Mandalorian did. Not watched any of the new series yet. But yeah they're just really wasn't enough to justify its existence. It could have just as easily been put on hulu. After all they have such a large investment in that too.
Hi, I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm changing the annual piracy subscription from nothing to 0 on the 31st of October. If you carry on then you'll end up exactly where you're headed. Thanks and have fun.
When streaming first came in I finally stopped pirating and felt a little bit better about myself. A couple years passed and I'm back to pirating, even built a Plex media server in the meantime.
You can just stream things for free.
Your local library has a copy of every kids Disney movie you could possibly want. No need to pay em for access to something your tax dollars pay for. And if you wanna go below board: just rip em and keep em forever.
What physical media do they have available?
Back when netflix first started, I subscribed to the 4 dvd plan. I'd rip and burn a copy of every movie that came through the house (if we liked it, that is). I was one of the few friends that had a DVD-R drive, and would make copies on request.
I still have an old case logic disk book completely filled with burnt dvds. I just built my first computer that doesn't have a removable-disk drive, and with that, I no longer have any way to play dvds/blu-rays. Not one disc player in the whole house.
I built my last computer during the pandemic, and put in a blu-ray writer (obviously DVD and CD backwards compatible) just for legacy purposes. It was actually hard to find a case with a 5.25" front bay. In two years I haven't used it once.
It's a shame - digital media DRM is going to escalate quickly once there is no physical media sold, since all our PCs have TPM chips now, so this may not turn out well for us - but I've accepted it's inevitable at this point.
You can also stream all of them for free here: https://fmoviesz.to/
Just make sure you have uBlock Origin installed.
Not sure why the top voted comments are always stupid advice like "libraries" or "plex servers."
We've had the solutions to these problems right in front of us for years. All we need to do is realize them.
Use your brain, not your wallet.
That's because more than 75% of the people affected keep paying. The results for Disney are Immediate savings on resources (less people streaming) and they still increase profits.
Yeah. People are disappointing.
People. What a bunch of bastards.
It actually is impressive how trained people are
Yarr intensifies
Twice the price and half the quality you would expect. So glad I dropped my subscription.
Set sail!!
I dropped my sub. Was paying roughly $7.50/mo for 2 years for the legacy bundle and they nearly tripled it to $18.99/mo.
Of all my streaming services, I literally do not watch ESPN, and barely use Hulu and Disney. I could justify $7.50 by stretching the definition of justification, but $18.99 is more than I pay for streaming services I use regularly.
I could justify $7.50 by stretching the definition of justification
Just use a free streaming site.
Why pay more so people richer than you can be even richer?
Many of us who had settled on land be thinking of travels
Don't over think it. The sea is calling.
Never fell for the land the sea was always my home.
Stuff like this is the reason I built a NAS a few years ago.
...and now I'm paying for power, usenet, search, hardware upgrades, and so on.
I regret nothing - I'm in control now.
I'm sure it's cheaper to maintain overall too, not including the one-time costs of hardware. Plus as you said, control is very valuable - and you get privacy, too! Nobody selling your usage data.
How does NAS help with that?
I wonder what's gonna happen when people stop paying for these streaming platforms when its obvious the juice isn't worth the squeeze?
I’ve been a paid subscriber since day one but canceled yesterday when I got this notice. I’ll just pirate whatever looks good going forward, between the arrs and Plex it’s actually a better experience anyway lol
I’m a monthly subscriber and didn’t get a notification that my price was going up this month which made it pretty neat when my charge went through.
During last year, I watched two series (only murders, Andor) and one movie. Disney+ is convenient and I can share the account with some friends. But at some point, it's literally cheaper to buy the things I watch directly and then also own them. Set up a Plex instance and it's also easier to share with friends.
They've also said they're not going to do physical DVD releases anymore.
It's ok. I have a physical hard drive that manages to get content somehow and an app that connects to it easily
Or you can just stream anything for free here: https://fmoviesz.to/
Use your brain, not your wallet. Lol.
Eh. They deserve it.
Always funny seeing rubes be like "it's on this streaming service" or "I don't have that streaming service."
You can stream pretty much anything for free here: https://fmoviesz.to/
All you need is uBlock Origin.
Seeing the discussion always center around paid streaming services just shows me how stupid the average person is these days. They're proud to pay more, for less. Lol. I guess that's why they're called useful idiots.
God bless you for sharing this. I will keep it to myself.
No problem!
I recommend sharing it for others, though.
I use https://himovies.sx/home but fmovies is my backup.
Lol suckers born every minute
Happy 100th, anniversary, Disney! /s
There's no unjustification for piracy anymore. If you're gonna charge me this much to use your shitty streaming services that I use once in a blue moon then don't cry when I instead download an mp4.
People were complaining about cable costing that much - now a single streaming service does. We have gone from "hmm, maybe it's easier to just pay Netflix 12 bucks a month" back to "this shit is too expensive, I'm gonna pirate my media"
Entertainment companies just can't seem to figure out how to deliver content to us in a convenient and affordable way.
Thanks for this heads up, just canceled my sub.
Welcome aboard matey!
What the fuck math are you people doing? It went up from $110/year to 140/year. That's a 20% increase. Still shit....but where in the fuck are you people getting a 75% increase? Just fucking google it and you'll see that OP is completely wrong...
I paid $ 79.99 less than a year ago. If they hiked it from 80 to 110, then hiked it again in less than a year that makes their practice even worse. They saw no dip in users so they thought they could go back for another bend over the bar.
See my edited post to see proof.
OP paid $80 for a yearly subscription, not $110.
They raised the price a year ago too. I suspect OP is like me and paid for a year right before last year's increase.
Whatever, 20% or 75% price increase still is the same $0 increase a year because you wouldn't give your money to Disney
I paid $80 last year. I've got another month before it expires and it would then be $140. If they have raised the price in multiple increments throughout the year doesn't change the fact that it's 75% more expensive for people renewing over last years price.
I was paying 69.99/year, that's the math I'm using. Don't know how you got such a bad deal.
I had to go double check what I'm paying. £96 for the middle tier (1080 not 4k I think), this is approx $116... So sounds like you guys were previously on a better deal (assuming same library access)
You can't compare been regions. Most outside of the US get a way more extensive library.
If you look at what OP posted they were paying only $80, which means they raised to $110 so recently that OP hadn't even gotten that price increase before they raised it again.
OP failed at math. Thought same thing was I checked for pricing myself.
Check my edit. I was billed $80 less than a year ago.
use stremio + torrentio
And Debrid.
Double the price and if fewer than half unsubscribe, there is a net gain in revenue.
And a drop in costs too since their system has to support less users.
The lowest common denominators dictate the market, Netflix has best sales in recent years for hiking and consumers couldn't live without it and now Disney is wanting a taste, and I'd imagine it'll work out well for them.
Disney especially has all but totally captured their target demographics, and not many working parents are likely to put the time into setting up a Plex and torrenting movies for their kid(s). Sadly, it's easier to shell over an unreasonably large fee, and let their kids have at it.
Aaaaaarrrr the seas be tempt me more everyday
I'm still incredibly angry at Disney+ for gutting watch together. I have a Plex server that I use quite a bit that I suppose will be getting even more usage now.
Yeah, what the heck happened to GroupWatch?
Idk if they ever said why they were doing it, but they canned it about a month ago.
it makes me chuckle at all those who once had a physical collection and sold them or gave them away in favour of streaming... who's laughing now loser's 🤦♂️
Going to be honest, I don't really care that I got rid of my VHS tapes and 480p DVDs.
Yeah anything under 1080p is unwatchable on 50"+ screens.
Kept all mine, turned it into a Plex server w/o pirating, laughing in no monthly subs. Plus charity shops sell blurays for barely anything.
The issue with price-hikes for subscriptions to me seems like it was always inevitable, and a no-brainer to solve. Disney, Netflix, and Hulu have no reason to lower their costs as long as people set-and-forget their subscriptions. The obvious solution is to stop subscribing and to buy a single month from a single service when you have a number of shows/movies you want to watch.
Paying $20 once per year to watch all the newest Marvel and Star Wars shows and movies in the span of a month at the cost of avoiding spoilers at release is a solid deal if you ask me. Paying $20 every month because you want to feel like you “own” the library of Disney’s media is a horrible decision.
Do what you want 'cause a pirate is free You are a pirate!
Yar har, fiddle de dee Being a pirate is alright to be Do what you want 'cause a pirate is free You are a pirate!
Good lord.
What was it? ~$50/yr price a couple years ago?
It launched at 80
I'm so glad I don't pay for Disney Plus... I've had it for free coming up to 3 years now - almost expiring? Upgrade my phone contract (sometimes for cheaper than my current costs) and get 3 to 6 months free Disney Plus, and I can upgrade as often as I want/need to.
When my partner bought a new phone from Samsung she got full year of Disney Plus, that ended a few months ago so we used the same offer that I got for my new phone.
(Have been able to choose a different reward to Disney Plus during that time).
Once that ends I'll be back to using my phone contract but definitely don't plan on paying for it. I'll sail the high seas before I ever pay for Disney Plus!
The prices change for the consumers. What never changes is the pay for Disney executives and shareholders. Their pockets of cash always go up and up 📈📈📈
Just canceling and not watching things is also an option. There's so much stuff out there to do, you'll probably never get bored.
Not worth it. I had Disney+ for the last few years and of all the streaming sites it had the least in its catalogue and the least rotation of new stuff.
Mickey Mouserat
Just as doctor who is about to land.
If i had to pay to see it, i would be deeply pissed.
Yeah I noticed that coincidence too.
Hmm how fitting, I just paid another 3 months of Real Debrid for 9 Euros... And guess what, I can see the cancelled (and removed) Disney media there! (If I wanted to).
Me who never enjoyed their content. "You guys were paying for Disney+？"
It's families. Dual income with several kids, yeah the fees sting, but when your cashflow is high and your savings nil, $200 a year doesn't sound crazy. It's not smart, and it's not fair, but if you know any parents of young children you can see how they could make that decision.
My partner drives our neighbour's kids around sometimes, so we rack up seats on family streaming accounts that way.
Can confirm. My wife and I pay about half for a shared account so our nieces can watch bluey and whatnot. We, their parents, and their grandma also get the rest of the content as a bonus, and everyone else chips in a little for the price too.
If they started limiting streaming like Netflix is doing, it suddenly wouldn't be worth the cost anymore. But as long as we have 5 adults with jobs splitting the bill, it's really not that bad.
Set sail for the content of faceless megacorps last year already.
Piracy is the only good way to consume media, man even the customer support is better!
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Feels like an egregious misuse of the word "gouging" but I understand the sentiment.
How so?
The term is generally reserved for, especially in legal cases, goods that are required to maintain a minimum quality of life but are in finite supply. If you were to suddenly increase the price of food, water, or communication technology during a widespread emergency, you would be committing a very clear case of Price Gouging and in most places found in violation of the law.
However, Disney+ Streaming service is the epitome of a good that is NOT necessary to live. It's a minor luxury with no positive impact on the consumer.
I'm on some Disney Plus deal to get 3 months for 99 cents per month. You'd better believe the second the 3 months is up I'm cancelling again. Let's face it, the platform is kind of dogshit and while there is an occasional good show, most of the new content is dreck. A month a year is sufficient to catch up on anything worth watching.
in their defence they got that free 2-day shipping. I never watched Mickey Mouse Club when it was free