Indie comedy streamer Dropout – formerly CollegeHumor – announced a price hike for “superfans” on Tuesday. And in an unlikely twist in a world of rising streamer prices, it has become on-demand for its fervent fans.
When the company announced earlier this year that it would raise subscription prices by a dollar in April, it received surprising feedback from some fans, saying they would like to pay even more for the platform’s comedy content.
Dropout CEO Sam Reich said in a YouTube video on Tuesday that they heard from fans and decided to make it a possibility with a new optional Superfan subscription tier. He joked that the Superfan subscription tier does not include any free products, early access to episodes, or exclusive access.
“The vast majority of you will not subscribe to this, and you remain our first priority,” Reich said. “Think of it as a Dropout fan club. An opportunity for those who have the motivation and means to pay us more in exchange for some Patreon-like perks.”
Reich said he was proud that the streamer had managed to keep subscription costs low, but said that as the company expands into scripted and animated content, it would be willing to take a little extra money from deep-pocketed fans.
The Superfan subscription costs $129.99 per year, about double the typical annual subscription which is $69.99.
Superfan subscribers will receive a behind-the-scenes blog, giving them an inside look at how Dropout content is created. They will have access to exclusive products and early access to the live event.
“If you want to pay us more, you can,” he said. “And if you don’t, don’t!”
Watch Reich’s announcement video here:
Dropout’s price hike option wasn’t the only subscription hike Tuesday. HBO Max has increased prices on all of its subscription plans with its basic ad-supported option costing $10.99 per month and its premium increasing by $2.00 per month to $22.99.
Dropout merged with CollegeHumor in 2023. The platform hosts short and long-form comedy videos, mostly unscripted. The Dropout app is available on Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, and iOS and Android mobile devices.
