As of Wednesday, new customers will pay $21.49 a month for each ad-free premium plan, a $2.50 increase, and $12.49 for the ad-supported versions, up 50 cents.
Existing subscribers will see the higher rates on their next monthly bill. Bundles are being treated differently. The ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu package remains $12.99 a month. The ad-free bundle rises $2 to $21.99 is 50 cents less than buying two separate premium subscriptions. The changes are meant to push customers toward packages instead of standalone plans.
Disney+, Hulu and ESPN bundles now range from $21.99 to $44.99 a month. ESPN recently raised its Unlimited plan from $29.99 to $31.99 a month and its annual plan from $299.99 to $319.99.
Disney launched Disney+ in 2019 and signed up more than 10 million customers on its first day. The service carries Disney classics such as “The Lion King” and “Lilo & Stitch,” plus titles from Marvel and Lucasfilm. The company acquired a controlling stake in Hulu as part of its $71.3 billion 2019 purchase of much of 21st Century Fox and later took full ownership. It has been integrating the two streamers, and ESPN programming, into Disney+ since then.
Disney is not the only streamer raising prices. Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Apple TV and YouTube Premium have all increased fees this year.