How Much Hulu Will Cost You From October 2022
By now, you have probably noticed that streaming services, once considered a cheaper alternative to cable, are all raising prices in 2022.
We are all somewhat addicted to our streaming providers, and they seem to have figured it out. Thus, after years of relatively low-cost access, that is changing.
The latest to raise its prices is Hulu. Here are the details.
Hulu Will Get More Expensive in October
Netflix was thefirst streaming company to raise pricesin 2022. It was a gutsy move thathelped the company lose subscribers. In February 2022, Amazon followed and announced it wouldraise the price of Prime.
In apress release, Disney announced that it would too raise the price of both Hulu and Hulu + Live TV in October 2022.
How Much Will Hulu Cost
Starting October 10, 2022, the price of Hulu Premium (with no ads) will rise from $12.99 to $14.99. Hulu Premium will not charge an annual fee. The cheaper Hulu Basic (with ads) will increase its cost from $6.99 to $7.99 (or $79.99 annually).
Meanwhile, starting December 8, the price of Hulu + Live TV, which incorporates Disney+ and ESPN+, will introduce new plans and new prices.
The Basic Hulu + Live TV plan will have ads on all channels and will cost $69.99/month. Additionally, the Legacy plan will only be available to existing subscribers and will cost $74.99/month. Both Hulu and ESPN+ will still feature ads, while Disney+ will still be ad-free.
Finally, the Premium plan will have no ads on both the Hulu and Disney+ channels. However, ESPN+ will have ads. The premium plan will cost $82.99/month.
All Disney Streaming Services Are Getting More Expensive
As we have noted,Disney+ will raise its prices in 2022as well. The ad-free tier of Disney+ will go up to $10.99/month and become Disney+ Premium. This price point is a risk for Disney, as it is higher than the Netflix Basic plan and may force some subscribers to choose between Netflix and Disney+.
However, Disney must be hoping that its new ad-supported tier, which will be called Disney+ Basic and cost $7.99/month with no annual fee, will compete with Netflix Basic ($9.99/month). Although Disney+ Basic will be cheaper than Netflix Basic, it is important to note that Netflix Basic has no ads.
ESPN+ is also increasing its price starting on August 23, 2022, with a cost of $9.99/month ($99.99 annually) for its ad-supported plan, $74.99 per event for UFC PPV (Pay Per View), and $124.98 annually for UFC PPV + Annual (no monthly fee).
So Why Are Hulu’s Prices Going Up?
Well, it’s easy to blame inflation. But the fact is that Disney has over 200 million subscribers combined on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. This large user base, combined with slowing subscriber growth, makes it a good time for Disney to boost revenues by raising prices.
Furthermore, we are all somewhat addicted to our streaming providers, and they know this by now. As senior Disney executive Kareem Daniel notes:
Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ feature unparalleled content and viewing experiences and offer the best value in streaming today, with over 100,000 movie titles, TV episodes, original shows, sports and live events collectively.
Indeed, all streamers seem to have figured this out. This is a good time for them to recoup their investments in content. When the whole industry raises prices, it mitigates the risk of subscriber loss for everyone.
Get Ready to Pay More for Streaming
Disney+ provides a lot of family-friendly content, ESPN is for sports fans, and Hulu provides entertainment to more mature audiences.
Whichever channel you prefer to watch, you will progressively start to pay a little more for it in August, October, and December 2022.
Here are a few ways that streaming platforms are moving back toward the traditions (and headaches) of cable TV.
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