Old news: Streamers love their price hikes! New news: Disney+ and Hulu are increasing again, so here are those prices! Starting October 12, for a monthly ad-free subscription to Hulu, and only Hulu, you’ll have to shell out $17.99, while Disney+ will ask for an additional three dollars — $10.99 to $13.99 — for its ad-free plan. Announced during The Walt Disney Company’s quarterly earnings call, CEO Bob Iger revealed the new prices, along with the news that the company is “actively exploring ways to address account sharing and the best options for paying subscribers to share their accounts with friends and families.†Another password crackdown is coming. Sigh.
The company will also launch a new, ad-free “Duo Premium†bundle with only Disney+ and Hulu (excluding ESPN+) on September 6 at $19.99. The existing ad-supported “Duo†bundle of Hulu and Disney+, currently priced at $9.99, won’t change. Joe Earley, president, direct-to-consumer, Disney Entertainment, stated in a press release that the new bundle will prime subscribers for when the company makes “extensive Hulu content available via Disney+ later this year,†the same Hulu-Disney+ one-app plan Iger alluded to earlier this year.
Now Hulu pushing $20 dollars is egregious, but then there’s also Netflix’s standard plan starts at nearly $16 (with an additional $8 for account sharing by adding an extra member), Max’s ad-free plan is $15.99, and even Peacock ranges from $6 to $12 dollars (remember the latter service’s free era?). Less than four years ago, Disney+ launched (ad-free!) for $7 a month. But the days of discount pricing now feel more and more like a wish you and your wallet make.