Hulu Has A New Annual Plan, And There's A Good Reason To Get It

Hulu has announced a new plan that mirrors a similar offering from its family-friendly sibling, Disney+. The two existing plans — the one with ads and the one without ads — aren't going anywhere and consumers will continue to pay for them monthly like usual. However, a third option — an annual plan — has joined them for those who know they'll be sticking with the service for a while, and there's a good reason to switch to it.

Hulu is primarily owned — and fully controlled — by Disney, which offers the streaming service as part of a three-deal bundle that includes Disney+ and ESPN+. Those who aren't interested in watching all of these services can instead sign up for Hulu on its own, getting access to more adult-centric content compared to the Disney+ platform.

In addition to its pricier ad-free plan, Hulu still offers its inexpensive ad-supported $5.99/month plan, which can now be purchased on an annual basis for $59.99 USD. This is around a $12 discount overall, giving long-term subscribers a way to essentially get two months for free every year. All ad-supported monthly customers now have access to this plan option.

This is similar to the annual plan Disney offers for its Disney+ service, which is slightly more expensive at $6.99/month for just that platform, $12.99/month for the bundle with Hulu and ESPN+, or $69.99/month for only Disney+ paid annually. The bundle itself is a discount compared to paying for two or three of those services individually every month.

At this point in time, Hulu is only offering the annual plan to its existing ad-supported plan customers, but it plans to make the option available to new customers, as well, sometime later this year. It's unclear at this time whether the company also plans to release an annual option for its ad-free plan.