Get ready – Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, and Hulu are all getting more expensive – here’s what you need to know
In what is becoming increasingly common for most streaming services, Disney has announced a new price increase that will affect its ad-free and ad-with plans for Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus. You may recall that Disney Plus last raised prices about a year ago, and these new prices will go into effect on October 17, 2024.
It’s not all bad news, though. Disney is introducing something akin to live channels in the form of ongoing playlists, adding ABC News Live to its already popular service.
Increases across the board
The price increases are pretty widespread, though. They affect Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN with or without ads, as well as bundles. Disney Plus and Hulu’s monthly plans are going up by $2, while ESPN is going up by $1 per month.
Below is a summary of the increases for customers in the United States:
- Disney Plus Basic (with ads) is going from $7.99 to $9.99 per month.
- Disney Plus Premium (ad-free) goes from $13.99 to $15.99 per month
- Hulu with ads goes from $7.99 to $9.99 per month
- Hulu ad-free goes from $17.99 to $18.99 per month
- ESPN Plus goes from $10 to $11.99 per month
The bundle price increases are a bit broader. The base Disney Duo plan, which includes Disney Plus and ad-supported Hulu, is increasing $1 to $10.99 from $9.99. That same package without ads, however, remains $19.99 per month. Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu with ads, however, are increasing $2 to $26.99 per month from $24.99.
Hulu’s Live TV bundles, which include access to Disney Plus and ESPN, are also increasing by $6. For example, Hulu + Live TV with ads for on-demand content jumps from $76.99 to $82.99, and that same bundle without ads for on-demand content is now $95.99 from $89.99.
You have until October 17, 2024 to consider the price increases, but at this time there are no users taking advantage of this. So you will see the price increase then.
The cost of new features
Still, for that price increase, Disney Plus is getting an ABC News Live integration directly into the platform on September 4, 2024, which is ahead of the upcoming 2024 election — meaning this could be a great resource. Additionally, these playlists that will offer a steady stream of content will be grouped by category, with a preschool-themed playlist launching first. You can probably expect to see “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Bluey,” and “Sofia The First” in the mix here.
At some point, other themes like Star Wars and Marvel will launch under “Epic Content” alongside “Throwbacks,” “Real Life,” and other seasonal content. However, these and presumably all of the others will only be for premium customers, aka those without ads.
The price increase also comes a day after Disney Plus added a new environment to its app on the Apple Vision Pro. With it, you can now watch “The Mandalorian,” a flashback to the hit “Hannah Montana,” “Finding Nemo,” “Only Murders In The Building” and other content on what feels like an infinitely larger screen against a backdrop of Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park, courtesy of National Geographic. Other platforms are adding similar Vision Pro content features. You can now watch SpongeBob movies on Paramount Plus and even catch jellyfish.
Ultimately, you’ll have to weigh the cost of the increase, including the person writing this story who has Hulu + Live TV, and see if it works out. And who knows, maybe Disney is working on other features or content additions to its streaming services.