<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Disney+ on Wednesday became the latest streaming service to raise its monthly subscription prices—joining others like Netflix and Amazon Prime—as media companies seek to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/10/disney-raises-price-on-ad-free-disney-38percent-as-part-of-new-pricing-structure.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">increase profitability</a>&nbsp;for their platforms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



Disney+ will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/10/disney-launching-cheaper-ad-supported-tier-in-december/?sh=365aec521a86">raise</a>&nbsp;its monthly subscription cost to $10.99 starting December, which means users will now have to pay an additional $3 every month to enjoy the same ad-free streams of their favorite Marvel, Disney or Star Wars shows.



Netflix, which continues to report a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2022/07/19/netflix-shares-jump-over-5-after-it-reports-smaller-subscriber-loss-than-forecast/">slump</a>&nbsp;in subscriber numbers,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/24/22993562/netflix-price-increase-us-plans-2022" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">raised prices</a>&nbsp;across all its tiers in March this year with the service’s basic plan now costing $9.99 per month (up by $1), Standard HD plan priced at $15.49 (up by $1.50) and Premium 4K plan priced at $19.99 (up by $2).



Hulu—Disney’s adult-focussed streamer—will also see the price of its ad-supported tier jump by $1 to $7.99 a month, while its premium ad free tier will be hiked by $2 to $14.99 per month.



ESPN+—the sports-focused streaming platform owned by Disney—<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/15/23220304/espn-plus-streaming-price-hike-disney-plus-hulu-bundle" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;a $3 price hike to $9.99 in June.



Amazon Prime, the e-commerce giant’s all-in-one subscription service which includes the streamer Prime Video,&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/03/amazon-is-increasing-the-annual-price-of-prime-to-139-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hiked</a>&nbsp;its annual price by $20 to $139 a year in February.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



HBO Max is currently priced at $14.99 per month for its ad-free premium tier while its ad-supported tier costs $9.99. Earlier this month, the streaming platform’s new parent Warner Bros. Discovery&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/04/hbo-max-and-discovery-will-combine-into-one-streaming-service/?sh=2eba7c671931">announced plans</a>to merge the service with Discovery+, which costs $6.99 per month without ads and $4.99 with ads. No pricing strategy has been announced for this merged version of HBO Max but it is very likely it will cost more.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



To somewhat soften the blow for consumers, most of the major streaming services have either launched or have announced plans to launch a cheaper ad-supported tier. Disney+ will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/10/disney-launching-cheaper-ad-supported-tier-in-december/?sh=365aec521a86">get</a>&nbsp;an ad-supported tier in December which will cost $7.99—same as the current price of the ad-free plan. After years of reticence, Netflix in July&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/19/netflix-confirms-its-ad-supported-tier-wont-have-all-its-content-at-launch/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;plans to launch a cheaper ad-supported plan that will not feature all of its content library. HBO Max jumped on the ad-supported bandwagon&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/hbo-max-with-ads-launch-pricing-1234986422/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">last year</a>, launching a $9.99 per month plan. Subscribers who choose HBO Max’s cheaper plan are still able to watch its flagship HBO TV shows without any ads—just like the premium cable channel—and are only served ads while watching other content.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/09/netflix-loses-subscribers-as-disney-catches-up-heres-how-the-major-streaming-services-are-faring-so-far-this-year/?sh=7d2644012a1c">Netflix Loses Subscribers As Disney+ Catches Up: Here’s How The Major Streaming Services Are Faring So Far This Year</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/10/disney-launching-cheaper-ad-supported-tier-in-december/?sh=2b953b401a86">Disney+ Launching Cheaper Ad-Supported Tier In December</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/04/hbo-max-and-discovery-will-combine-into-one-streaming-service/?sh=74c4cd591931">HBO Max And Discovery+ Will Combine Into One Streaming Service</a>(Forbes)



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

TV remote control in the foreground, Video on demand screen in the blurry background

Here’s How Much More You Have To Pay For Streaming Services Compared To Last Year

Whilst other industries succumb to the coronavirus pandemic, Netflix is reigning supreme.



With almost half the planet in lockdown, the streaming giant is cashing in on a captive home audience, even in Africa.



Pushing more international content on its platform as it takes on competitors Disney+, Hulu (majority-owned by Disney), Amazon and Showmax, Netflix has been vocal about making Africa a new hub for generating original content.



In February, it premiered its first African original series, Queen Sono, a South African crime drama starring Pearl Thusi, which is now going into its second season after receiving rave reviews.



Netflix has also just announced its second African original series, titled Blood &amp; Water.



The series, focusing on “a world of mystery, raw family dynamics and light-hearted relief”, is directed by Nosipho Dumisa. The female cast includes Ama Qamata, Khosi Ngema,&nbsp;Gail Mabalane, Natasha Thahane, and Cindy Mahlangu.



Blood &amp; Water is set to hit your personal screens in May.



Netflix has also announced its next African original series, JIVA!, currently in production. It will be “a fun and energy-packed drama series” on a talented street dancer, and will be a local African production, from script to screen, with an all-African cast and crew.

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Netflix To Debut Second African Original Series

TOPLINE Netflix is one of the few companies actually thriving during the coronavirus, hitting an all-time high in the market Thursday after becoming more valuable than rival entertainment giant Disney.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="960" height="735" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Tiger-King.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-44391" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Tiger-King.jpg 960w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Tiger-King-300x230.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Tiger-King-600x459.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Tiger-King-768x588.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><figcaption>&#8216;Tiger King&#8217; has been a huge boon for Netflix, drawing more than 34 million viewers in its first 10 days on the platform, according to Nielsen. NETFLIX</figcaption></figure></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



The streamer’s stock climbed 5% by midday, after closing at a record price of nearly $427 per share on Wednesday.



With viewers turning to hits like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/arielshapiro/2020/04/08/34-million-people-watched-tiger-king-in-its-first-10-days-on-netflix/#56e0cff52a9a">true-crime documentary&nbsp;Tiger King</a>&nbsp;and comfort-food reruns like&nbsp;The Office&nbsp;and&nbsp;Cheers,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/arielshapiro/2020/03/23/exclusive-disney-sees-huge-subscription-spike-as-homebound-audiences-clamor-for-content/#7f50f02e17c4">Netflix is seeing a spike in new subscriptions</a>, according to streaming analytics firm Antenna.



Aside from increased viewership, Netflix is seeing another benefit from the crisis: like the rest of Hollywood, it has had to halt production, says Lightshed partner and analyst Rich Greenfield, freeing up its cashflow as it accumulates revenue.



What’s good for Netflix is also good for its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/reed-hastings/#73a62bcd2782">cofounder and CEO Reed Hastings</a>&nbsp;— his net worth is now $4.9 billion, a $1.2 billion increase since the end of March.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



$194 billion. That is how much Netflix&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/netflix">NFLX</a>&nbsp;is now worth, having increased its market value more than $50 billion so far this year. Disney&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/walt-disney">DIS</a>, having been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus, is valued below $184 billion, down from nearly $258 billion at the end of 2019. Disney and Netflix are two of the heaviest hitters in entertainment, but they have opposite approaches. While Netflix is entirely dependent on paid subscriptions for revenue, Disney is much more varied, as reliant on tourism and merchandise sales as it is on the content it puts out. While that diversity has traditionally been its strength, it has become a liability as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/arielshapiro/2020/04/14/saving-disney-iger-returns-as-coronavirus-batters-the-company-on-all-sides/#37412867e64f">the pandemic forces Disney to shut down theme parks and delay film releases</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



While that pause in production may be good for Netflix’s bottom line now, it could result in significantly less new content in the fall than planned. Even so, Netflix may still be better off than its competitors. “The reality is they have much more content in the pipeline than anyone else right now,” says Greenfield.



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/arielshapiro/">Ariel Shapiro, </a>Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/business">Business</a>

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Netflix Stock Hits Record High, Is Now Worth More Than Disney

Topline:&nbsp;In order to continue global growth, ByteDance (parent company of the wildly popular social media app TikTok) will reportedly launch a&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.ft.com/content/ffaed23a-07dd-11ea-a984-fbbacad9e7dd" target="_blank">music streaming service</a>&nbsp;as soon as next month and is potentially exploring ways to&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiktok-looking-at-ways-to-shake-off-its-ties-to-china-11574073001?mod=djem10point" target="_blank">remake its image</a>&nbsp;in advance of a rumored 2020 public offering.&nbsp;



<ul><li>The&nbsp;Financial Times&nbsp;reported Sunday that ByteDance is in talks to secure global licensing rights from Warner Music, Universal Music and Sony Music, the world’s largest record companies.&nbsp;</li><li>ByteDance’s still-unnamed music streaming service will reportedly cost less than $10 per month, undercutting monthly subscription fees charged by rivals Spotify and Apple, and will kick off with initial launch markets in Brazil, Indonesia and India; ByteDance declined to comment.</li><li>Those countries could be a tough sell⁠—according to a May 12&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-20/tiktok-owner-to-challenge-spotify-and-apple-with-music-service" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bloomberg report</a>, paid music subscriptions are mainly a Western phenomenon, while the most popular music apps in Asia are YouTube and Tencent’s QQ Music, both of which are free.</li><li>Meanwhile, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiktok-looking-at-ways-to-shake-off-its-ties-to-china-11574073001?mod=djem10point" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;reported Monday that Beijing-based ByteDance, facing growing concern from U.S. lawmakers over its user-<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-launches-national-security-review-of-video-app-tiktok-11572641964?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">data storage</a>&nbsp;and content&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/9/20906971/tiktok-censorship-china-bytedance-musically-marco-rubio-senate-mnuchin-cfius-treasury" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">censorship</a>&nbsp;practices, is searching for ways to distance itself from its Chinese roots.</li><li>Potential rebranding moves include relocating its operations to Singapore and renaming TikTok, which the company denied, according to the&nbsp;WSJ.</li><li>Both the&nbsp;FT&nbsp;and&nbsp;WSJ&nbsp;reported ByteDance was aiming to IPO sometime next year, which ByteDance also denied to both outlets.&nbsp;</li></ul>



Big number:&nbsp;$78 billion. That was ByteDance’s last reported valuation, making it one of the&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/30/tiktok-owner-bytedances-first-half-revenue-better-than-expected-at-over-7-billion-sources.html" target="_blank">most valuable</a>&nbsp;startups in the world.



What to watch for:&nbsp;When ByteDance’s music streaming service actually launches. And if it moves the needle on paid music subscriptions in Asia. China’s Tencent has 800 million music users, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/ffaed23a-07dd-11ea-a984-fbbacad9e7dd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">less than 5%</a>&nbsp;of them pay for it.&nbsp;



Key background:&nbsp;TikTok made a name for itself as the first Chinese social network to achieve success in the U.S with over 100 million Americans as registered users. It surged in popularity this year as teens flock to the app to make lighthearted pranks, comedy sketches and lip-syncing videos. It’s also the third-most-downloaded app in Apple’s App Store, but it came at a price. According to the&nbsp;WSJ, ByteDance poured&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiktoks-videos-are-goofy-its-strategy-to-dominate-social-media-is-serious-11561780861?mod=article_inline" target="_blank">$1 billion&nbsp;</a>into advertising and flooded rivals Facebook and Instagram with ads.&nbsp;



&#8211; <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/">Lisette Voytko</a>

Tag: Streaming

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Here’s How Much More You Have To Pay For Streaming Services Compared To Last Year

Netflix To Debut Second African Original Series

Netflix Stock Hits Record High, Is Now Worth More Than Disney

TikTok Owner ByteDance Continues Expansion Efforts With Music Streaming And Possible Rebrand