Disney+ and I are in a toxic relationship. It raises its prices every year. It never asks how I feel about it. And every single month, I stay. Why? Because Disney knows exactly what I want, and it's built a whole strategy around keeping me right where I am.
Spoiler: segmentation.
It Knows Me Too Well
Disney+ doesn't treat its audience like one giant couch. Like any smooth talker, it figures out what each person wants and tells them exactly what they want to hear.
Its opening line is all about what viewers value most. Bargain watchers can stream with ads, while anyone who would rather pay than sit through commercials gets Premium, which jumped from $18.99 to $21.49 a month in September (Gray News, 2026). That's behavioral segmentation at work: same shows, two very different love languages.
From there, it charms the whole household. Bundles are demographic and life-stage segmentation in disguise, with Disney+ covering family movie night, Hulu handling the grown-up dramas, ESPN catching the sports fans, and HBO Max grabbing the prestige TV lovers. It's not just dating me; it's winning over my entire family. Then it goes for the heart. Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar each get their own hub because people don't just watch these fandoms, they identify with them, which is psychographic segmentation built on lifestyle and personality rather than age or income.
And then there's the "might as well" crowd. Hi, it's me. When Disney raised its standalone prices, the Disney+ and Hulu bundle with ads stayed put at $12.99, and Variety reported the move was designed to push customers into bundles (Gray News, 2026). I took the bait, and honestly, I'm not even mad about it.
So how does Disney decide who's worth the effort?
Green Flags: Five Rules Before You Commit
Marketers use the ADAMS test to decide whether a segment is relationship material (Gomez Albrecht et al., 2023), and Disney+ passes it with flying colors.
It starts with chemistry. A segment has to be accessible, meaning you can actually reach it, and Disney owns the ad space on its own platforms, so it can slide a bundle offer into my view while I'm already watching. The segment also has to be differentiable, responding in its own way. Ad-tolerant viewers chase price while ad-averse viewers chase convenience: same product, different pickup line.
Then comes the practical stuff. A segment needs to be actionable, meaning the company has a realistic plan to win it over, and a sports bundle is easy for Disney because it already owns ESPN. It has to be measurable too, since you can't manage what you can't count. Streaming data tells Disney exactly who watches what, when, and for how long. Yes, it's keeping receipts. Finally, it has to be substantial, big enough to be worth the commitment. Nobody builds a bundle for twelve people.
And once you commit, keep checking in. Segments shift as tastes, prices, and habits change, so the data that justified a segment last year needs a fresh look this year. Healthy relationships take maintenance.
Which brings me to the one Disney should be sliding into the DMs of.
The New Crush: Women's Sports Fans
Lately, WNBA games keep showing up on my Disney+ home screen right next to my usual shows, thanks to ESPN's Women's Sports Sundays streaming there (ESPN Press Room, 2026). That's not an accident. Women's sports viewership hit 28.6 billion minutes in the first half of 2026, an 18% jump, and 60% of women's sports fans have switched brands based on a company's values, compared with 45% of sports fans overall (Sports Video Group, 2026). ESPN's female viewership also rose 14% this year, and the WNBA Playoffs became the most-viewed in the network's history (ESPN, 2026).
If I were Disney, I'd make the first move with women and young adult fans who follow women's leagues, a crowd that's loyal, social, and fiercely values-driven. Picture a dedicated Women's Sports hub on Disney+ with live games, athlete documentaries, and highlights all in one place, plus a seasonal add-on priced below the full ESPN bundle so new fans can try it without a big commitment.
The pitch matters just as much as the product. This fan base walks away from brands that don't share their values, so Disney should lead with athlete stories and community instead of just scores, proving its investment in women's sports is the real thing.
The best part? This crush checks every green flag. The record viewership makes it measurable, billions of viewing minutes make it substantial, Disney's own platforms make it accessible, values-driven fans make it differentiable, and games already streaming on Disney+ make it actionable.
So, Are We Staying Together?
Disney+ already has me. Locked in, bundled up, and paying happily. But the next big win isn't keeping fans like me. It's courting the fans who've been overlooked for years and are now showing up in record numbers. Disney already has the games. Now it just needs to make the first move. As for me and Disney+? We're toxic, we're expensive, and we're absolutely staying together.
References
ESPN. (2026, October 14). ESPN delivers sixth straight year of television viewership growth, up 10% in fiscal year 2026. The Futon Critic. http://thefutoncritic.com/ratings/2026/10/14/espn-delivers-sixth-straight-year-of-television-viewership-growth-up-10-percent-in-fiscal-year-2026-626014/20261014espn01/
ESPN Press Room. (2026, July). Women's Sports Sundays on ESPN drives strong audience growth across WNBA and AUSL. https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2026/07/womens-sports-sundays-on-espn-drives-strong-audience-growth-across-wnba-and-ausl/
Gomez Albrecht, M., Green, M., & Hoffman, L. (2023). Principles of marketing. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/principles-marketing/pages/5-4-essential-factors-in-effective-market-segmentation
Gray News. (2026, September 23). Disney+ and Hulu are raising streaming prices (again). https://www.kptv.com/2026/09/23/disney-hulu-are-raising-streaming-prices-again/
Sports Video Group. (2026, August 18). Nielsen: Women's sports viewership reaches 28.6 billion minutes in first half of 2026. https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/08/18/nielsen-womens-sports-viewership-reaches-28-6-billion-minutes-in-first-half-of-2026
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