Hulu Raising Prices for On-Demand Plans to Push Subscribers to Bundle

Hulu today informed customers that it is planning to raise the price of its ad-supported and ad-free on-demand plans by $1, an increase that will impact both new and existing subscribers.

hulu logo 2019
The ad-supported plan, which costs $5.99, is going up to $6.99 per month, while the ad-free plan will be priced at $12.99, up from $11.99. The pricing changes are set to go into effect on October 8.

Pricing on the Disney Bundle that includes access to Hulu ad-supported content, Disney+, and ESPN+ is not changing, and it will continue to be available for $13.99. The Disney Bundle with ad-free Hulu is still $19.99.

Now that there's a $1 price difference between the ad-free Hulu subscription and the lower tier Disney Bundle, customers may be more willing to choose the Disney bundle to get access to all three Disney streaming services. As Variety points out, the bundle now provides a 36 percent discount compared to separate subscriptions.

The Hulu + Live TV plans are also not changing in price at this time and continue to start at $64.99 per month.

Hulu has never before raised the price of its ad-supported tier, and in 2019, dropped the cost from $7.99 per month to $5.99 per month. Hulu is still competitively priced with Netflix, which is priced starting at $8.99 for a basic plan and goes all the way up to $17.99 per month for the premium tier.

Tag: Hulu

Top Rated Comments

KaliYoni Avatar
20 months ago
Hulu's ad-insertion and targeting algorithm is terrible! It's intrusive, random, and repetitive. Maybe that's deliberate in order to drive people to pay up for a premium subscription. Either way, it's ANNOYING.

I sure wish there was a company that offered one-stop-shopping for all these channels, a single bill each month, and a free set-top box for my TV...oh, wait a minute!

Seriously, the extreme balkanization of streaming video content providers is yet another example of how what's good for the entertainment business is bad for viewers. We've gone from one extreme, forced bundles of huge numbers of channels, to another extreme, where anything desirable requires another "exclusive" subscription.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Howyalikdemapls Avatar
20 months ago
Interesting. I pay for Disney+ ($8) and Hulu ad free ($12) so it was the same price whether or not I signed up for the bundle. Being as I have zero interest in ESPN, I pay for them separate…. Now they are charging more separately so it would be cheaper to sign up for the bundle with ESPN. I guess I understand but I’m literally never going to watch ESPN. Kinda annoying to sign up for the bundle but whatevs. I guess that’s fine.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mcfrazieriv Avatar
20 months ago

rather annoying for them to charge more for the ad tier
You mean like Cable TV?

Corporate greed never ceases to amaze. Charge more for the same service, year after year. Break up bundles to only come back to bundles. Eliminate ads to only reintroduce ads.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BGPL Avatar
20 months ago
I've always had ad-free Hulu, and although I think its original programming isn't great, it has a lot of legacy television shows I enjoy, so I doubt I'll ever get rid of it. I went with the Disney bundle for a few months, but never found myself using it after I blew through The Mandolorian. As for ESPN+, I found myself using it only when I wanted to watch the undercard fights on certain UFC fight nights. Bottom line, it wasn't worth it to me. Call me a prima Dona, but I don't care for the ads.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
srbNYC Avatar
20 months ago

People still using HULU in 2021?
What are you saying? I think I use Hulu as much as HBO Max. Is something wrong with me?

Per the article, "One of Hulu’s big selling points is that it’s the only service that gives viewers next-day access to current shows from each of the major U.S. broadcast networks." I use it for FX and NBC shows as well as some NBC, SNL, vintage stuff etc.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Westside guy Avatar
20 months ago
I've kept an ad-free subscription to Hulu going for several years, just out of habit - we don't seem to watch it that much anymore. Think I'll be moving to the "subscribe long enough to watch what I want, then unsubscribe" model I've been using for other services (like I've done with All Access / Paramount Plus / Star-Trek-orama / Whatever it's called this month).
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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