Disney Raises Price of ESPN+ by 17% After Sports Rights Binge

(Bloomberg) -- Walt Disney Co. is raising the price of its ESPN+ sports streaming service by 17% following big investments in new contracts for pro football and other sports.

The monthly subscription will rise by $1 to $7, while the annual rate will increase $10 to $70, Disney said Monday. The price of a bundle that also includes the company’s two other streaming services, Disney+ and Hulu, will remain $14 a month. The change is effective Aug. 13.

Disney has been investing heavily in new packages of sports rights and has said all of them going forward will have the option of including more programming on its streaming services.

Just this year, the world’s largest entertainment company signed new long-term deals for professional football, hockey and baseball. Last week, Disney renewed its agreement to carry Wimbledon tennis, now through 2035.

While still the smallest of Disney’s streaming services, ESPN+ has been growing, most recently reporting 13.8 million subscribers.

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