Verizon has expanded its partnership with Disney on Monday, announcing customers on two of its pricier plans will now receive the full Disney streaming bundle — which includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ — for no additional charge.
The deal, which will go into effect on Thursday, will give customers who pay for the “Play More Unlimited” or “Get More Unlimited” plans free access to the streaming services going forward; the plans cost about $45-$55. Currently, Disney’s streaming bundle costs about $13 per month — which is about $7 per month less than customers would pay if they subscribed to the services individually.
Verizon’s new deal will replace its original deal with Disney, which since last November had offered unlimited customers a free year of Disney+. Fios internet customers were also given the free year trial of Disney+ as part of the old deal.
The initial partnership helped Disney+ get off to a great start last year, with Disney executives saying 20% of its 26.5 million Disney+ subscribers by the end of 2019 came directly from Verizon. Earlier this month, Disney reported Disney+ had hit 60.5 million subscribers, putting the company well ahead of its own projections — as well as Wall Street’s — for its first year. At the same time, Hulu climbed to 35.5 million subscribers, which includes 3.4 million customers paying for its live TV package. while ESPN+ added about 600,000 to hit 8.5 million overall.