Disney is reportedly raising prices on Disney+ and Hulu, with some plans increasing by up to 13 percent. The changes could land this week.
The reported numbers:
- Disney+ Premium: $18.99 to $21.49 per month
- Hulu Premium: up to $21.49 per month
- Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Premium: up $2 to $21.99 per month
Ad-supported plans are expected to rise, too, though the report did not include those figures.
For Disney+ Premium, that is about $30 more per year.
The Backlash
Disney fan threads lit up immediately.
“Goodbye streaming services!” wrote user ukichan4real, tagging Disney, Hulu, Paramount+, and HBO Max. “I can no longer afford you and I’m tired of the bullshit. All these companies tricked us.”
Another user, kylearmitage55, posted an expletive-filled message calling out the fourth straight year of increases and adding, “Greed has no limits.”
Plenty said they already left.
“I’ve cancelled my Disney+ / Hulu / ESPN package,” wrote user kaf1958. “Not at all worth the $$$, especially in the current economy.”
“I cancelled my Disney + last month and literally bought all the avengers movies,” wrote user bebe.az520. “It will take me forever to get through all that. Lol but it’s all mine.”
Someone tried to organize it.
“Can we all collectively quit on like October 1st or something?” wrote user ashtonw638.
And the line every streaming executive dreads:
“It’s sad that it’s cheaper to get cable TV than streaming services,” wrote user djuiliano. “It’s pure greed.”
Clearing Up One Claim
Several posts say Disney is adding ads to the Premium tier.
A commenter corrected it directly.
“They aren’t adding ads to premium, and you can just quietly cancel,” wrote user evilhands.
That appears accurate. Reporting describes Disney+ Premium as the ad-free tier, with cheaper ad-supported plans separate and also expected to increase.
So Premium is getting pricier and staying ad-free. The ad tiers are likely rising as well.
The 50 Cents Nobody Noticed
This is the real story in the pricing.
Disney+ Premium alone: $21.49. Hulu Premium alone: $21.49. Both together: $21.99.
Fifty cents.
At that gap, buying one service by itself stops making sense. Disney has priced the bundle as the only rational choice, and bundle subscribers are far less likely to cancel, because walking away means losing two services instead of one.
Everyone is angry about the $2.50. The fifty cents is the strategy.
Why Disney Does It Anyway
One commenter named it.
“Total U.S. streaming subscriptions grows every year, and price is still not adversely affecting demand,” wrote user scottporch.
That is the pattern every time. Cancellation threats surge online. Subscriber counts keep climbing. Companies raise prices because the numbers keep saying yes.
What is shifting is how people subscribe. Sign up, watch the thing, cancel, come back later. Rotating between services has become normal usage rather than a trick.
The Tip Worth Stealing
One genuinely useful comment surfaced in all the anger.
“I pay $4.99 a month for a year and I redo it every year by waiting for Black Friday,” wrote user elizabethluvinmykids77. “All the streaming services get super cheap.”
Disney has run steep annual promotions around Black Friday. Timing a signup around them costs a fraction of standard pricing.
Another commenter pointed out that some AT&T wireless plans include Disney+ at no extra charge. Worth checking before paying full freight.
Closing the Gap With Netflix
At $21.49, Disney+ Premium moves nearer to Netflix’s $26.99 ad-free 4K tier.
Cheaper, but not the way it used to be.
Disney+ launched at $6.99 in 2019. The low price was the whole reason adding it felt easy. Past $20, the question changes from whether it is cheap enough to add, to whether you watch it enough to keep.
“What’s even on Disney plus,” wrote user nasirecoo.
Disney has not officially confirmed the new pricing. Check your plan before the next payment runs.
Sources: Threads discussions, and reporting on Disney’s expected Disney+ and Hulu price increases.
