Matt Buckler: Disney Plus is getting more expensive

Aug. 11—There was good news and bad news for Disney Plus Tuesday.

First, we'll treat you with the good — Disney's streaming service passed Netflix in total viewers.

But there's a flip side — instead of celebrating, Disney Plus decided to raise its prices.

The steepest increase goes to the ad-free Disney Plus Channel, which is increasing 38 percent to $10.99 per month.

For those who don't want to pay that much, Disney is coming out with a service that contains about four minutes of commercials per hour.

That will be priced at $7.99. Hulu also is going up by $1, while the Disney bundle, which also includes Hulu and ESPN Plus, is rising to $10.99

That might not seem like a lot extra to pay, but as we all know, this is just the beginning.

'Talent' tops chart

There is one reason why "America's Got Talent" continues to be the ultimate summer show. It has the combination of entertaining acts and entertaining back stories about the contestants.

On Tuesday's show, there was an added bonus — judge Simon Cowell starting to act like Simon Cowell, finding fault with acts that are praised by the other three judges.

That blend helped push "America's Got Talent" to the top of the ratings chart with an audience of 6.5 million viewers. "America's Got Talent" usually is the most watched show during the summer and nothing has changed this year.

"Talent" also gave a helping hand to the show that followed it. "Password," which attracted 4.2 million viewers.

And here's another reason why NBC loves "Talent" — the ratings always increase when you start getting deeper into the competition.

Ratings recession

It seems there is one thing everyone in the media has these days — a podcast.

It's much easier to start a podcast than to nail a deal for a syndicated talk show.

If you want to be relevant in today's media world, a podcast is a must.

Chris Cuomo, following his termination from CNN, is no exception. He has started a podcast, "The Chris Cuomo Project." The "Project, however, remains a work in progress.

According to the New York Post, Cuomo's latest show ranked 72nd among Apple iTunes top podcasts, down from a 51st place finish the week before.

Cuomo likes to ramble and sometimes it's difficult to figure out the point he's trying to make. That isn't good for the ratings.

Because Cuomo no longer receives daily exposure from CNN, the podcast does keep him in the spotlight — even though the 72nd ranked show may offer a dim spotlight.

Career help, however, is on the way. Cuomo's weeknight show on the News Nation cable network kicks off Oct. 3. Since no one is expecting much from the show, whatever ratings he can get will be an added bonus.

Cuomo still has a forum. And judging by the ratings these days, News Nation can't be that far away from CNN.

Fox News pioneer

When the Fox News Channel was created on Oct. 7, 1996, one of the first faces of the new network belonged to Uma Pemmaraju. She came from WBZ-TV4 in Boston and helped the new network get off the ground.

Fox is reporting that Pemmaraju died Monday at the age of 64.

After starring at Fox, Pemmaraju left to join Bloomberg News, but came back to Fox News in 2003.

Pemmaraju is remembered for being the first Indian-American news anchor to gain prominence on a national network.

Tonight she is remembered for something else — helping a brand-new network get off to a flying start.

Follow Matt Buckler for more television, radio, and sports coverage on the JI's Twitter @journalinquirer, and see his articles on the Journal Inquirer Facebook page.