Customers who signed up for a "No Commercials" Hulu streaming plan via an iOS device or Apple TV have been paying $13.99, a $2 premium over the cost of the subscription plan if purchased via the web.
Starting this week, Hulu has dropped the $13.99 subscription price to $11.99, so customers who subscribe via an Apple device using iTunes billing will now pay the same price as other Hulu customers.
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Hulu informed subscribers about the change through emails that went out yesterday. Beyond the emails, Hulu offered no explanation for the sudden price drop, which was originally in place because of the cut Apple takes from all App Store purchases, including subscriptions.
Prior to 2016, Apple took a 30 percent cut of all transactions, but in late 2016, Apple cut that in half for video subscription apps. Apple now takes a 15 percent cut of subscription fees for subscriptions for apps like Netflix and Hulu that are purchased via the App Store.
Hulu Christmas present. Price cut as Netflix is increasing my price. pic.twitter.com/qdOcv0GXFd — Walt Piecyk (@WaltBTIG) December 20, 2017
Hulu's App Store description continues to list $13.99 as the price for the No Commercials plan, but when you sign up in app, it's providing the new $11.99 price tag.
Hulu's Limited Commercial plan continues to be priced at $7.99 on Apple devices. $7.99 is the standard price on the Hulu website as well, but at the current time, Hulu is offering a promotion that drops the price to $5.99. That promotion is not available in the Hulu apps for Apple TV and iOS.
Top Rated Comments
First Disney, with whom Apple has been in bed since 2005, buys 20th Century Fox and thus a controlling stake in Hulu and now Hulu drops the Apple tax from their iTunes subscription. Coincidence?
Yes, Disney is only trying to buy. The deal won't complete for perhaps a year or more. Disney is not in charge of 20th Century Fox yet.Hulu is a mess. Frequent stuttering, ads for paying subscribers, usage tracking frequently loses track. It’s a painful experience for a cord cutter.
Absolutely. Its a painful experience for anyone as far as Im concerned. Just recently canceled. And commercials is actually the main reason. Im paying you a subscription, then I have to pay extra to not have commercials????? Thats a flat out load of garbage. I have Netflix, Amazon Prime and had Hulu. Im going to watch Star Trek TNG. All three services offer it. So, why in the hell would I watch on Hulu, when the other two have zero commercials. I give multiple streaming services money and have content commercial free, so what is my basic subscription for with Hulu? Everytime I put it on and had to sit through the same 3 commercials for every show I put on, I felt like I was getting punched in the face. Its right up there with baggage fees and data limits for broadband.........a made up fee that costs the provider NOTHING.