Hulu's Live TV plan bundles ESPN+ and Disney+ with a price hike to match
Hulu subscribers who signed up for the company's Live TV plan will soon pay a bit more per month — but with the added benefit of ESPN+ and Disney+ bundled with the subscription. This is a good deal for customers who are interested in the latter two streaming services, but unfortunate for anyone who only wants Live TV access.
Hulu recently sent an email to its subscribers alerting them about the price change, which will go into effect on December 21; the same change is also listed in the fine print on its Hulu with Live TV subscription page. Once that date arrives, the Live TV subscription will increase by five dollars to $69.99/month.
Subscribers who pay for the Live TV plan and the ad-free Hulu service will see their cost increase to $75.99/month. This will represent a very slight decrease in cost for customers who already have all three streaming plans, the current price of which is $72.99/month (or $78.99/month ad-free) for the Live TV + Disney Plus + ESPN Plus bundle.
Put simply, bundle subscribers will save around three dollars per month with this change, while Hulu with Live TV subscribers who aren't interested in Disney+ and ESPN+ will end up paying five dollars more than before. Customers won't be given the option of only paying for Hulu with Live TV starting next month. The price increase will apply to both existing and new customers.
The price change only impacts the Hulu with Live TV plan; customers who are only signed up for the ad-supported and ad-free on-demand plans will continue to pay the same rate per month. This price change for Live TV subscribers will arrive only a couple of months after the company's October price increase, which bumped the on-demand plans by one dollar per month to $6.99 (ads) and $12.99 (no ads).
Disney has been pushing its bundled services for a while now. Though the Disney+ platform is still available as a standalone subscription at $7.99/month, the company presents its $13.99/month bundle with Hulu on-demand and ESPN+ first and foremost. Searching for Disney+ plans, for example, takes visitors to a page presenting the Disney+ bundle; a small link must be clicked to find the standalone plan option.
The small price increase between the standalone service and the bundle makes it a good deal for many subscribers. Hulu essentially fills in where Disney+ leaves off, offering content more suitable for adult audiences. ESPN+, meanwhile, is a solution for cord-cutters who enjoy sports, one of the biggest reasons many consumers continued to pay for cable services as streaming platforms spiked in popularity (via Fast Company).