Basic Hulu, ESPN Plus and Disney Plus are all set to increase in price before the end of this year. However, all three services are not due to encounter a price increase at the same time, so it is important for subscribers to be aware of the timeline and when they can expect the price of the individual services they use to go up.
These three services are related through Disney and have collectively seen a number of price increases over the last couple of years. Back in December 2020, the price of Disney Plus increased to $7.99 per month. By August of 2021, ESPN Plus increased to $6.99 per month, and by October of the same year, the cost of a basic Hulu subscription had risen to $6.99 or $12.99 per month, depending on whether subscribed to the ad-supported or ad-free plan.
Now, in 2022, a new round of price increases for these three Disney-owned services have been confirmed. Due to their relationship with each other, the changes might also affect some subscribers to the Disney Bundle and even some Hulu Live TV customers.
As mentioned, the price increases are not all arriving at the same time, but the first is due to take effect later this month.
Here’s a summary of what’s happening and when:
| Current Price | New Price | Increase Date | Price Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESPN Plus | $6.99 | $9.99 | Aug. 23, 2022 | +$3 |
| Basic Hulu | $6.99 | $7.99 | Oct. 10, 2022 | +$1 |
| Hulu (No Ads) | $12.99 | $14.99 | Oct. 10, 2022 | +$2 |
| Disney Plus | $7.99 | $10.99 | Dec. 8, 2022 | +$3 |
| Disney Bundle (existing subs) | $13.99 | $14.99 | Dec. 8, 2022 | +$1 |
| Hulu Live TV w/ Disney+ (No Ads) | $69.99 | $74.99 | Dec. 8, 2022 | +$5 |
| Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV | $75.99 | $82.99 | Dec. 8, 2022 | +$7 |
As detailed above, the first price increase to arrive will be for ESPN Plus, with the cost set to increase to $9.99 per month. This change is due to take effect on August 23, 2022. A price increase of $3 had already been reported, and therefore was expected. For reference, ESPN Plus does also offer an annual plan, and this will also be impacted by the price increase as well. Starting from Aug. 23, the annual price of ESPN Plus will be $99.99.
The next price increase will apply to basic Hulu. Starting from October 10th, the price will rise by $1 to $7.99 per month. Hulu also offers an annual plan and the price of a yearly subscription will increase to $79.99 on the same day. Similar to the previous basic Hulu price increase, this one also affects ad-free subscribers as well. On October 10, the cost of a Hulu (No Ads) subscription will increase to $14.99 per month, a price bump of $2.
Then, in December of this year, Disney Plus will get its price increase. While a current Disney Plus subscription currently costs $7.99 per month, the price will increase by $3 to $10.99 per month, starting from December 8th, 2022. On the same day, Disney will actually launch an ad-supported version of Disney Plus. This ‘With Ads’ version will be priced at $7.99 per month, effectively replacing the current Disney Plus plan and price.
Disney Bundle and Hulu Live TV changes
The Disney Plus price increase that is due to take effect in December will result in changes for the Disney Bundle as well. For starters, the current version of the bundle will disappear and be replaced with a new ad-supported version, priced at $12.99 per month. In this sense, the price will actually go down compared to the existing $13.99 per month bundle, although subscribers will be exposed to ads with all three bundled services. For those that are already subscribed to the current Disney Bundle, they will see their price increase by $1 to $14.99 per month on December 8th, 2022. Those currently paying $19.99 for the no ads version of the bundle won’t see any change to their price.
As the Disney Bundle is increasing in price, this also has the potential to impact on some Hulu Live TV subscribers. Starting from Dec. 8, the standard Hulu Live TV plan will still include basic Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus subscriptions, but the ad-supported versions. This compares to the current Hulu Live TV plan which includes ad-free Disney Plus. With the change taking effect, existing subscribers that want to stick with the ad-free Disney Plus experience will see the price of their live TV subscription increase to $74.99 per month
A knock-on effect of this change also means that those paying for the even more expensive $75.99 per month plan which includes Hulu (No Ads) will see the cost of their live TV subscription increase to $82.99 per month.
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