US Resumes Dollar Shipments to Iraq After Months-Long Suspension 
Morgan Stanley Names BAE Systems Top European Defence Stock Despite Lower Price Target 
Asian Currencies Slip as Dollar Holds Firm, Yen Near Four-Decade Low Ahead of Fed, Jobs Data 
Sodexo Raises 2026 Revenue Outlook After Strong Q3 Sales Beat 
SK Holdings, KKR Launch $1.3B Renewable Energy Venture in South Korea 
Australia Trade Balance Swings to Surprise Deficit as Imports Outpace Exports in May 
Central Banks Eye Gold, Reduce Dollar Exposure as AI Adoption Accelerates: OMFIF Survey 
Trump Administration Declines USMCA Renewal, Opens Talks on New Trade Changes 
Kawasaki Heavy Shares Slide on Report of ¥200 Billion Capital Raise Plan 
Microsoft Reportedly Plans New Job Cuts Across Sales, Consulting, and Xbox 
Asian Stocks Slide as Chip Shares Tumble Ahead of Key U.S. Jobs Report 
Trump Administration to Launch Voluntary AI Standards for Frontier Models 
U.S. Stocks End Q2 Higher as Strong Jobs Data and AI Rally Lift Wall Street 
UN Chief Urges Nations to Close $100 Million UNRWA Funding Gap 
NATO Albania Summit Faces Uncertainty as Trump, Defense Spending Concerns Loom 
Trump Reports $1.4 Billion in Crypto Income as Digital Assets Become Top Wealth Source 
Walt Disney Company is raising the prices of its streaming services as sales are declining. The company is implementing a price hike to increase the business's profitability.
Associated Press News reported that Walt Disney's chief executive officer, Bob Iger, promised to turn its streaming services into moneymaking units through the hike on their ad-free option. Disney Plus will see an additional $3 or about 27% increase, meaning the service without commercial will now cost $13.99 per month.
The mass media giant will also tweak the subscription plan of its Hulu streaming service. There will be a 20% hike on its ads-free tier, bringing the cost to $17.99 per month. On the other hand, the plans with ads will remain at $7.99.
The company said it will apply the new rates to Disney Plus and Hulu starting Oct. 12. It will also expand its ad-supported subscription plan to some markets in Europe and Canada. Subscribers from select regions may now opt for streaming services with ads starting Nov. 1.
In any case, aside from the slowing sales, it was reported that Disney decided to increase the ad-free subscription rates of Disney Plus and Hulu as it believes its content library has enough materials to compete with Netflix and Warner Bros. Max's Discovery. In comparison, the new prices are almost as high as the rivals' commercial-free plans.
Disney released its earnings result for its fiscal third quarter that ended on July 1. While it reported smaller losses on Disney Plus, it actually lost subscribers in the United States and Canada for the second straight quarter. Moreover, the company's streaming unit lost $512 million in Q3.
This is the second time in less than a year that Disney has implemented a price increase for its streaming offerings. Meanwhile, despite the recent loss of subscribers, Iger remained optimistic about the company's streaming brands.
"We are prioritizing the strength of our brands and franchises, we are rationalizing the volume of content we make, what we spend, and what markets we invest in," the Disney CEO said in a statement. "We are harnessing windowing opportunities, perfecting our pricing and marketing strategies, maximizing our enormous advertising potential, and we're making extensive Hulu content available to bundle subscribers via Disney+."
