The world of Disney is about to get a bit less wonderful for cost-conscious streaming subscribers. At least for those unwilling to sit through commercials.
Ad-free Disney+ will cost $13.99 per month (up from $10.99) as of October 12, while ad-free Hulu jumps from $14.99/month to $17.99/month. (Yes, Hulu is now pricier than the standard Netflix plan.) Their ad-supported tiers remain the same: $7.99/month apiece or $9.99 for the duo bundle.
That same day, Hulu + Live TV will also get more expensive — with and without ads. Each plan is increasing by $7 per month; with ads will be $76.99, without will be $89.99.
On September 6, however, Disney will launch an ad-free bundle of Disney+ and Hulu for $19.99/month. Stick with IndieWire for all of your steals and deals.
Meanwhile, the ESPN+ price is going up from $9.99/month to $10.99.
“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, Disney’s direct-to-consumer president. “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.”
If you’re feeling some déjà vu, yes, Disney just raised the prices of its streaming services. On December 8, 2022, Disney+ increased from $7.99/month to $10.99. Hulu raised its price in October. The last ESPN+ price hike happened a year ago in August 2022.
In related news, ad-supported Disney+ will roll out November 1 in Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The following month, the ad-free version of Disney’s core streaming service will see prices increase.
While some of these price hikes are significant (especially considering it marks the second increase inside of 12 months for U.S. consumers), Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger has pretty much been warning us this would happen soon. It’s also on trend for what we’ve seen from the streaming industry as a whole thus far in 2023.
Disney reported its fiscal third-quarter earnings, including an update on streaming subscribers, on Wednesday. Iger also revealed a Disney+ password-sharing crackdown coming to the U.S. in 2024, just like IndieWire predicted. He again commented on the ongoing writers and actors strikes — this time, with a far softer tone.
