If you aren’t sick of price hikes yet, the latest two might put you over the edge. On Wednesday, Disney announced that its premium, ad-free plans for Hulu and Disney+ are getting price hikes this fall. Prior to the arrival of the price hikes, Disney will introduce a new bundle featuring both plans that could save you up to $12 a month.
On October 12th, Disney will jack up the price of its Hulu (No Ads) plan by 20% from $14.99 to $17.99 a month. Meanwhile, Disney+ Premium is jumping 27%, from $10.99 to $13.99 a month. The ad-supported tiers of each streaming service will still be $7.99 a month, and the Duo Basic bundle, which features both Hulu and Disney+ with ads, will stick at $9.99 a month.
But the hikes don’t end there! Disney is also increasing the price of ESPN+ from $9.99 to $10.99 a month (and $99.99 to $109.99 a year) and Hulu + Live TV with ads ($69.99 to $76.99 a month) and without ads ($82.99 to $89.99 a month). As for the Disney Bundles, Trio Basic (all three ad-supported plans) is increasing from $12.99 to $14.99 a month, while Trio Premium (with ad-free Hulu and Disney+) is going up from $19.99 to $24.99 a month.
Finally, the new Duo Premium bundle — which includes Hulu and Disney+ without ads — will be available on September 6th for $19.99 a month. That’s a substantial $12 discount versus paying for both premium, ad-free subscriptions separately.
Beyond jacking up prices, Disney also announced the Disney+ Basic plan with ads is coming to “select markets across Europe and in Canada” on November 1st. There is a new Standard plan as well that will start at £4.99/€5.99 a month in EMEA and $7.99 a month in Canada.
“The strong momentum of our ad-supported plans in the U.S. demonstrates the importance of providing consumers with choice, flexibility and value,” said Joe Earley, President of Direct-to-Consumer at Disney Entertainment. “We are excited to expand that offering in more markets across the globe, including in Europe and Canada, and to launch a new premium duo bundle of ad-free Disney+ and Hulu this Fall, as we take steps toward making extensive Hulu content available via Disney+ later this year for Bundle subscribers.”
Price hikes on streaming services are seemingly inevitable, but this one really stings. First, both Disney services were subjected to price hikes less than a year ago — Hulu in October 2022 and Disney+ in December 2022. And then there’s the fact that Disney CEO Bob Iger has been taking shots at the writers and actors who are on strike demanding fair pay. Maybe redirect some of the money that you’re making from our ballooning Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions to the writers and actors who make the stuff you put on it? Just an idea!
