Disney+ and Hulu price hike: Here is how much customers have to pay

Walt Disney is raising prices across several of its streaming subscriptions, rolling out rate adjustments that make subscribing to Disney+ and Hulu individually almost twice as expensive as bundling the two platforms together. Citing people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal public announcement, a report by Bloomberg says that customers can be notified of the increases as early as September 23,. The revisions represent the fourth price hike in four years for Disney’s streaming stable.The new pricing breakdownThe steepest price jumps will land on individual ad-free subscriptions, while bundled offerings receive smaller adjustments designed to keep subscribers linked to both services. Under the new structure, an ad-free bundle featuring both Disney+ and Hulu costs 50 cents more per month ($21.99) than purchasing either service on its own ($21.49).Plan / Subscription TierNew Monthly PricePrice ChangePercentage IncreaseDisney+ (Ad-Free Standalone)$21.49+$2.50+13%Hulu (Ad-Free Standalone)$21.49+$2.50+13%Disney+ (Ad-Supported Standalone)$12.49+$0.50+4%Hulu (Ad-Supported Standalone)$12.49+$0.50+4%Disney+ & Hulu Bundle (Ad-Free)$21.99+$2.00~10%Disney+ & Hulu Bundle (Ad-Supported)$12.99+$0.50 (or unchanged)Up to +4%Disney's commercial strategy hinges on steering consumers away from single-service subscriptions into shared bundles, the report points out, adding that across the streaming industry, customers on bundled plans are far less likely to cancel, providing operators with more predictable recurring revenue and higher lifetime subscriber value.The latest adjustment also narrows the gap between Disney’s top tier and Netflix’s premium tier, which sits at $26.99 per month for multi-device 4K streaming – four dollars more than the highest plan at HBO Max.The hikes arrive against a backdrop of wider “streaming inflation.” Since 2022, digital entertainment subscription rates have increased at roughly three times the rate of broader consumer inflation, as media giants such as Disney, Netflix, Apple, Comcast, and Paramount Skydance push to transition direct-to-consumer video into sustained profitability.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.