If you’re a Disney streaming subscriber, get ready to dig a little deeper into your bank account when you pay your monthly subscriptions (yes, again), as Disney has announced it will increase prices for its Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+ streaming services. Prices will increase for both ad-supported and ad-free plans and bundle subscribers will also pay more for some bundles. Subscribers can expect to pay $1 to $2 more per month.
The price increases will be as follows:
- Disney+ With Ads – $9.99, up from $7.99
- Disney+ Ad-Free – $15.99, up from $13.99
- Hulu With Ads – $9.99, up from $7.99
- Hulu Ad-Free – $18.99, up from $17.99
- ESPN+ – $11.99, up from $10.99
The Disney Duo Basic plan, which includes ad-supported versions of Hulu and Disney+ will increase from $9.99 to $10.99, although pricing for the premium version will not change, remaining at $19.99.
The ad-supported bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ will increase from $14.99 to $16.99, and the premium trio bundle will increase from $24.99 to $26.99. Hulu’s “Live TV” plan with VoD ads will increase to $82.99, up from $76.99, and the ad-free version will increase to $95.99, up from $89.99.
Disney will hike the subscription prices on Thursday, October 17. The House of the Mouse assures subscribers that its subscription plans “remain among the best values in streaming today.” Uh-huh. Maybe they can use some of that extra money to fix the fiasco that is their Hulu app. As for me, I need to convince my granddaughters that Warner Bros. cartoons are better than Disney cartoons, so I can drop the Disney+ subscription.
Disney tacked the price increase announcement onto the tail end of a press release announcing that Disney is “giving” Disney+ subscribers access to ABC News Live and new continuous playlists starting on September 4, with the first playlist offering preschool content.
Additional curated playlists will be released later this year, with “Epic Stories” from Marvel, Star Wars, and other franchises, “Throwbacks” with nostalgic pop culture content, “Real Life” with documentaries and biopics, and seasonal content.
