Disney just announced that it will be raising subscription prices later this year. And, unfortunately, this is a wide-reaching hike that will impact a bunch of subscribers.
The upcoming changes will include increases to the following services and bundles:
- Disney+
- Hulu (on-demand)
- Hulu + Live TV
- ESPN+
- The Disney Bundle
Unfortunately, both ad-supported and ad-free tiers will be impacted.
Let’s take a look at what we know so far.
Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ Will Increase Subscription Prices in October
The prices for Disney+, Hulu, Hulu + Live TV and ESPN+ subscriptions will increase by at least $1 per month. Most of the increases are at least $2, though, and the Hulu + Live TV increase is a gut punch at $6 per month. That means the cheapest you'll be able to stream live TV via Hulu is now $82.99 per month!
Disney will make the price increases effective October 17, 2024.
Here’s a breakdown of the existing and upcoming prices for each impacted service:
As a small consolation to this bad news, it was also announced that ABC News Live will be streamed on Disney+ beginning in September.
Of course, there's already the option to get this channel on a host of free streaming services, including Pluto TV, Tubi and The Roku Channel. So, that's not really much added value in the face of these increases.
What About the New Bundle Deal with Max?
You may remember that it was recently announced that a new bundle featuring Disney+, Hulu's on-demand service, and Warner Bros. Discovery's hit video streaming service Max is available for as little as $16.99 per month.
That remains true today, and the announced price increases for Disney's other bundles and standalone subscriptions did not mention any planned price increase for this new bundle.
As a refresher, new and existing customers are eligible to sign up for either an ad-free or ad-supported bundle that includes all three services:
At this time it’s just a monthly offering. There are no annual subscription bundles. And you can sign up via any of the three services’ websites.
After today's news, you may want to seriously consider this option. The ad-supported bundle is roughly $13 per month cheaper than paying for the three ad-supported services individually.
Over the course of a year, that would end up saving you $156.
Is this latest price increase going to alter your appetite for subscribing? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.
The post PRICE HIKE: Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ Subscriptions Will Cost More in 2024 appeared first on Clark Howard.