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Disney+ and Hulu Raise Prices, Steering Customers Toward Bundles
The Walt Disney Company is making Disney+ and Hulu more expensive.
The biggest increases are for plans without advertisements.
Each ad-free service by itself will cost $21.49 per month.
Plans with advertisements will cost $12.49 when purchased separately.
Buying both services together will cost $21.99 without advertisements or $12.99 with advertisements.
This makes the bundle much cheaper than paying for both services separately.
Disney says the pricing strategy is intended to encourage customers to choose bundles.
The changes could be announced to customers starting September 23, and they come during a broader rise in streaming prices.
The Walt Disney Company plans to raise prices for several Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions.
Ad-free standalone Disney+ and Hulu plans will each cost $21.49 monthly, up $2.50.
Ad-supported standalone plans will cost $12.49, an increase of 50 cents.
The ad-free Disney+ and Hulu bundle will cost $21.99, while the ad-supported bundle will cost $12.99.
Customers could begin receiving notice on September 23, marking the fourth streaming price increase in four years.
- Who
- The Walt Disney Company, Disney+ and Hulu subscribers, and other streaming companies.
- What
- The Walt Disney Company is raising prices on several Disney+ and Hulu subscription plans while maintaining a pricing advantage for bundles.
- Where
- The changes apply to Disney+ and Hulu streaming subscriptions.
- When
- Customers could be notified starting September 23; this is the fourth streaming price increase in four years.
- Why
- The company is steering customers toward bundles, which streaming operators consider less likely to be canceled and more supportive of predictable recurring revenue and profitability.
Bundle-focused pricing
Subscriber cost concerns
Purpose of the pricing structure
Bundle-focused pricing
The Walt Disney Company is emphasizing bundles because bundled subscribers are described as less likely to cancel and more valuable through predictable recurring revenue.
Subscriber cost concerns
Customers who want only one service face the steepest increases, with ad-free standalone plans rising 13% to $21.49 per month.
Streaming price increases
Bundle-focused pricing
Media companies including Disney, Netflix, Apple, Comcast, and Paramount Skydance are raising direct-to-consumer prices as they pursue sustained profitability.
Subscriber cost concerns
Digital entertainment subscription prices have risen roughly three times faster than general consumer inflation since 2022.
Key facts
- Ad-free standalone price
- Disney+ and Hulu will each cost $21.49 per month, up $2.50, or 13%.
- Ad-supported standalone price
- Disney+ and Hulu will each cost $12.49 per month, up 50 cents, or 4%.
- Ad-free bundle price
- The Disney+ and Hulu bundle will cost $21.99 per month, up $2, or about 10%.
- Ad-supported bundle price
- The bundle will cost $12.99 per month, up 50 cents; the listed increase is up to 4% or possibly unchanged.
- Separate subscriptions
- Buying the two ad-free services separately would cost $42.98 per month, nearly twice the ad-free bundle price.
- Netflix comparison
- Netflix's premium tier is listed at $26.99 per month for 4K streaming across multiple devices.
- Price-hike history
- The changes would be the fourth increase to Disney's streaming prices in four years.
Sources
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