The cost of an annual subscription for ESPN Plus subscribers will increase from $ 49.99 to $ 59.99 in 2021, according to Variety. ESPN raised the monthly price of ESPN Plus earlier this year to $ 5.99, and now the annual subscription is receiving the same treatment.
New subscribers will start paying $ 59.99 on January 8, 2021, and the new price is expected to reach existing subscribers a few months later, in March. Disney previously announced that Disney Plus and the Hulu company package, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus would cost $ 1 more starting in March 2021, bringing those prices up to $ 8.99 and $ 13.99 , respectively. Streaming price increases have been a topic of 2020; YouTube TV increased its price, Fubo followed it not long after, Netflix increased the cost of its most popular streaming plan by $ 1, and Hulu’s live TV service also saw a price increase.
Prices for ESPN Plus pay-per-view events in the UFC will also change in January. Currently, each game costs $ 64.99 to watch, but after January 8, that will change to $ 69.99. UFC pay-per-view fights are exclusive to ESPN Plus in the United States, so the price change will affect anyone who follows MMA regularly. Outside the US, game availability varies by region, but the UFC’s official website has the most up-to-date information.
These types of price increases for streaming services are not uncommon and, at the very least, give some insight into ESPN and Disney’s confidence in its service. There are new ESPN Plus exclusives coming into service next year, but ESPN’s biggest achievement is the Southeastern Conference streaming rights for football, which will bring SEC games to the streaming service in 2021. We’ll have to see if they are enough for existing subscribers to stay close.