Disney+ Introducing Ad-Free Hulu Bundle & Big Price Increases This Fall
Disney is raising the prices of all of its streaming services this fall. Also coming this fall is an ad-free Disney+/Hulu bundle, which follows the Disney+/Hulu bundle with ads previously launched in the United States.
The new Duo Premium offer (ad-free Disney+/Hulu bundle) will be available starting September 6, 2023, and cost $19.99 per month, the same price as Netflix and Max‘s premium subscriptions. Disney+ now joins Netflix and Max as the highest-priced streamers on the market. Disney+ and Hulu will also be combining into one standalone app in the near future.
Both ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu subscription costs will stay the same ($7.99 per month), but Disney+ (no ads) will increase to $13.99 (up from $10.99) per month and Hulu (no ads) will increase to $17.99 per month, up from $14.99, starting October 12, 2023. ESPN+ (with ads) will also increase to $10.99 per month (up from $9.99) on October 12.
“The strong momentum of our ad-supported plans in the U.S. demonstrates the importance of providing consumers with choice, flexibility and value,” Joe Earley, President, Direct-to-Consumer, Disney Entertainment,” said in a statement on Wednesday, August 9. “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.”
Here’s a full pricing chart with all pricing changes:
The Disney+/Hulu bundle with ads (Duo Basic) will stay the same price ($9.99 per month), while Trio Premium — Disney+ (No Ads), Hulu (No Ads), ESPN+ (With Ads) — will cost $24.99 monthly. Trio Basic (Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle with ads) will cost $14.99 monthly. Hulu + Live TV with ads is increasing to $76.99 per month (up from $69.99 monthly), and Hulu + Live TV ad-free will cost $89.99 per month (up from $82.99 monthly).
This announcement comes as the WGA writers’ strike hits its 100th day and the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike nears the one-month mark. After coming under fire in July for saying the WGA and SAG-AFTRA demands were “not realistic,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a Wednesday, August 9, earnings call that he is “personally committed” to finding a solution for the labor stoppages with the striking unions, per The Hollywood Reporter.
