Disney raising prices on Disney Plus and Hulu ahead of account-sharing crackdown

polygon.com:

Disney Plus and Hulu subscription prices are going up, but only for subscribers who opt for the ad-free versions of those streaming services, Disney announced Wednesday. Viewers who bundle those two streaming services may not feel the pinch of a price increase, thanks to a new option that will combine Disney Plus and Hulu, without ESPN Plus.

Starting Oct. 12, the cost of a Disney Plus subscription without ads will jump from $10.99 per month to $13.99 per month. An ad-free Hulu subscription will see a similar $3 bump, from $14.99 per month to $17.99 per month.

If you’re already subscribing to both streaming services, you’re probably better off switching to Disney’s “Duo Premium” bundle, which will include ad-free versions of Disney Plus and Hulu for $19.99 per month. That option will go live on Sept. 6.

There’s no change to the monthly plans for Disney Plus and Hulu with ads, however. Those will still be $7.99 per month each. Other bundles that include Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus will also see a price increase.

Given the number of services, bundles, and with/without ads options, Disney’s streaming subscription options just got considerably more confusing. Here’s Disney’s breakdown of the incoming price changes and bundle options:

* Effective as of Oct. 12 ^ Available beginning Sept. 6

Disney Plus launched in November 2019 at $6.99 per month, meaning that as of October, Disney will have doubled the cost of a monthly subscription over the past four years. Naturally, the catalog of films and TV shows included as part of the Disney Plus service have massively increased since then, and de-aging Samuel L. Jackson for Secret Invasion doesn’t come free. Someone has to pay for that.

Netflix’s standard plan, sans ads, is