Disney+ and Hulu raise prices, joining industry-wide hikes

Streaming is getting more expensive again. Disney is the latest media giant to raise prices for its streaming services, adding to a pattern already playing out across the industry. The increases come roughly a year after Disney’s last major streaming price hike.

Disney is raising the price of its ad-free Disney+ and Hulu bundle to $21.99 a month, up from $19.99, while the ad-free standalone plans are each rising to $21.49 a month, up from $18.99. The company is also increasing its stand-alone ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu plans to $12.49 a month. The new prices are reflected on Disney+‘s support page.

Disney+ and Hulu are hardly alone. Streaming companies have spent the past several years steadily raising prices: Peacock and Apple TV also raised prices in August, while Netflix increased prices earlier this year. When Disney+ launched in 2019, its basic monthly subscription cost $6.99; the service has gradually moved further from that introductory price as Disney has tried to turn streaming into a profitable part of its entertainment business.

The latest increases come as streaming remains an increasingly important part of Disney’s overall business. In its third-quarter 2026 results, Disney said entertainment streaming revenue from Disney+ and Hulu rose 11% to $5.5 billion, driven by subscriber growth and the impact of previous price increases.

At the same time, Disney appears to be exploring ways to expand its streaming business beyond simply raising subscription prices. The company has reportedly explored introducing a free tier for Disney+, which could put it in more direct competition with platforms such as YouTube and Tubi that have been capturing a growing share of consumers’ viewing time. Earlier this month, Disney+ also introduced “Playlists,” a new feature designed to help users discover and continuously watch curated selections of content.

Disney is making changes on the technology side too: it recently hired Karandeep Anand as its first-ever chief technology officer. Anand is the former CEO of Character.AI, a company Disney previously accused of infringing on its intellectual property.

Why it matters

As price hikes become an annual ritual across every major streamer, the real test for Disney is whether original content and features like Playlists can hold subscribers who now have a growing list of reasons to churn.