LOS ANGELES—Walt Disney Co. edged past Netflix Inc. with a total of 221 million streaming customers and announced it will increase prices for customers who want to watch Disney+ or Hulu without commercials.
The media giant will raise the monthly cost of Disney+ without advertising by 38 percent to $10.99 in December, when it begins to offer a new option that includes ads for the current price.
Disney in 2017 staked its future on building a streaming service to rival Netflix as audiences moved to online viewing from traditional cable and broadcast television.
Five years later, Disney has edged past Netflix in total streaming customers. The Mouse House added 14.4 million Disney+ customers, beating the consensus of 10 million expected by analysts polled by FactSet, as it released “Star Wars” series “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and Marvel’s “Ms. Marvel.”…