Hulu Raising Nearly All Prices (Including Live TV Bundles) on Oct. 21
Hot on the heels of a controversy that pushed many people to cancel their Hulu and Disney+ subscriptions, the company is announcing it wants you to pay more. Nearly every Hulu product including those with Live TV are going to see higher prices starting October 21.
Buckle up – there are a lot of changes.
$9.99/mo.
What Will the New Prices Be?
| Streamers/Bundles | Includes | Old Price | New Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disney+, Hulu Bundle | – Hulu (With Ads) – Disney+ (With Ads) | $10.99 | $12.99 |
| Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle | – Hulu (With Ads) – Disney+ (With Ads) – ESPN Select (With Ads) | $16.99 | $19.99 |
| Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium | – Hulu (No Ads) – Disney+ (No Ads)* – ESPN Select (With Ads) | $26.99 | $29.99 |
| Disney+ Premium, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Legacy | – Hulu (With Ads) – Disney+ (No Ads)* – ESPN Select (With Ads) This plan is no longer available to purchase or switch into on Disney+. Existing subscribers will be able to keep their plan so long as they do not cancel or change it. | $21.99 | $24.99 |
| Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (With Ads) | – Disney+ (With Ads) – Hulu (With Ads) – HBO Max Basic With Ads | $16.99 | $19.99 |
| Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (No Ads) | – Disney+ Premium (No Ads)* – Hulu Premium (No Ads) – HBO Max Standard (No Ads) | $29.99 | $32.99 |
| Hulu + Live TV, Disney+, and ESPN Select | – Live TV – Hulu (With Ads) – Disney+ (With Ads) – ESPN Select (With Ads) | $82.99 | $89.99 |
| Hulu Premium + Live TV, Disney+ Premium, and ESPN Select | – Live TV – Hulu (No Ads) – Disney+ (No Ads)* – ESPN Select (With Ads) | $95.99 | $99.99 |
| Hulu + Live TV, Disney+ Premium, and ESPN Select | – Live TV – Hulu (With Ads) – Disney+ (No Ads)* – ESPN Select (With Ads) This plan is no longer available for purchase or a plan switch — existing subscribers will be able to keep this plan so long as they do not cancel or change it. | $87.99 | $94.99 |
| Live TV Only | Live TV | $81.99 | $88.99 |
| Hulu | Hulu (With Ads) | $9.99 (Annual was $99.99) | $11.99 (Annual will be $119.99) |
| ESPN Select | ESPN+ | $11.99 | $12.99 |
$82.99/mo.
Read: Did you just cancel Hulu and Disney+? Here are your best alternatives ►
What Products Aren’t Raising Prices?
If there’s a silver lining, there are a handful of streaming setups that aren’t going up in price.
Hulu Premium (the ad-free on-demand service) remains $18.99/month.
The Disney+ Hulu Bundle Premium with no ads remains $19.99/month.
The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle stays $35.99 and the ad-free version of that bundle remains $44.99.
ESPN Unlimited stays at $29.99/month.
How Can You Avoid the Price Hikes?
Dropping these services entirely is the easiest way to avoid the price hikes, but that is the nuclear option.
One way to save is to choose the annual plans where available. If you grab a one-year subscription to Hulu before Oct. 21, it would be $99.99 instead of $119.99/year. That makes the price $8.25/month, compared to what you’d pay month-to-month after that date: $11.99.
Another savings hack is to buy a gift card from an online gift card reseller. Right now, you can save 12.4% on $25 gift cards at GCX. When you buy it, you’ll get the code emailed to you. Then add the gift card as your payment method within Hulu and it will pull from the gift cards before it ever taps your credit card.
I do this regularly – GCX has discounted cards for Hulu, Netflix, Fandango at Home, Sling TV, and Showtime (use on Paramount+). You’re paying for this stuff anyway, so you may as well get a discount.
$25 card for $21.91
Also remember the wide world of free streaming services! If you fire up Kanopy (ad-free!) and Plex and Tubi, you may find you don’t need as many premium services. It can be hard to replace services like Disney+ and ESPN, but you can find lots of diversions without spending money.
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