Independent comedy streamer Dropout — formerly CollegeHumor — announced a price hike for “superfans” on Tuesday. And in an unlikely twist in a world of streamer price increases, it became at the behest of its devout fans.
When the company announced earlier this year that they would be increasing subscription prices by a dollar in April, they received surprising feedback from some fans, saying they would like to pay even more the platform’s comedy content.
CEO of Dropout Sam Reich said in a YouTube video Tuesday that they have heard fans out and decided to make that a possibility with a new, optional Superfan subscription tier. He joked that the Superfan subscription tier comes with no free merchandise, no early access to episodes or exclusive access.
“The vast majority of you won’t subscribe to this, and you are still our first priority,” Reich said. “Think of this as a Dropout Fan Club. An opportunity for those with the motive and the means to pay us more in exchange for a few Patreon-style perks.”
Reich said he is proud that the streamer has been able to keep subscription costs down, but said as the company expands into scripted and animation content they would be willing to take some extra cash from fans with deep pockets.
The Superfan subscription is $129.99 a year, about double the typical annual subscription which is $69.99.
Superfan subscribers will get a behind-the-scenes blog, giving them a look into how Dropout content is made. They will have access to exclusive merch and early access to live event.
“If you want to pay us more, you can,” he said. “And if you don’t, don’t!
Watch Reich’s announcement video here:
Dropout’s price hike option was not the only subscription hike Tuesday. HBO Max raised prices for all of its subscription plans with its basic with ads option costing $10.99 a month and its premium increasing $2.00 a month to $22.99.
Dropout merged with CollegeHumor in 2023. The platform houses short-form and long-form comedy videos, mostly unscripted. The Dropout app is available on Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TVs, plus iOS and Android mobile devices.
