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Hulu Raising Prices for On-Demand Plans to Push Subscribers to Bundle

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Hulu today informed customers that it is planning to raise the price of its ad-supported and ad-free on-demand plans by $1, an increase that will impact both new and existing subscribers.

hulu-logo-2019.jpg

The ad-supported plan, which costs $5.99, is going up to $6.99 per month, while the ad-free plan will be priced at $12.99, up from $11.99. The pricing changes are set to go into effect on October 8.

Pricing on the Disney Bundle that includes access to Hulu ad-supported content, Disney+, and ESPN+ is not changing, and it will continue to be available for $13.99. The Disney Bundle with ad-free Hulu is still $19.99.

Now that there's a $1 price difference between the ad-free Hulu subscription and the lower tier Disney Bundle, customers may be more willing to choose the Disney bundle to get access to all three Disney streaming services. As Variety points out, the bundle now provides a 36 percent discount compared to separate subscriptions.

The Hulu + Live TV plans are also not changing in price at this time and continue to start at $64.99 per month.

Hulu has never before raised the price of its ad-supported tier, and in 2019, dropped the cost from $7.99 per month to $5.99 per month. Hulu is still competitively priced with Netflix, which is priced starting at $8.99 for a basic plan and goes all the way up to $17.99 per month for the premium tier.

Article Link: Hulu Raising Prices for On-Demand Plans to Push Subscribers to Bundle
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/07/hulu-on-demand-price-increase/
I've always had ad-free Hulu, and although I think its original programming isn't great, it has a lot of legacy television shows I enjoy, so I doubt I'll ever get rid of it. I went with the Disney bundle for a few months, but never found myself using it after I blew through The Mandolorian. As for ESPN+, I found myself using it only when I wanted to watch the undercard fights on certain UFC fight nights. Bottom line, it wasn't worth it to me. Call me a prima Dona, but I don't care for the ads.
 
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Interesting. I pay for Disney+ ($8) and Hulu ad free ($12) so it was the same price whether or not I signed up for the bundle. Being as I have zero interest in ESPN, I pay for them separate…. Now they are charging more separately so it would be cheaper to sign up for the bundle with ESPN. I guess I understand but I’m literally never going to watch ESPN. Kinda annoying to sign up for the bundle but whatevs. I guess that’s fine.
 
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Hulu's ad-insertion and targeting algorithm is terrible! It's intrusive, random, and repetitive. Maybe that's deliberate in order to drive people to pay up for a premium subscription. Either way, it's ANNOYING.

I sure wish there was a company that offered one-stop-shopping for all these channels, a single bill each month, and a free set-top box for my TV...oh, wait a minute!

Seriously, the extreme balkanization of streaming video content providers is yet another example of how what's good for the entertainment business is bad for viewers. We've gone from one extreme, forced bundles of huge numbers of channels, to another extreme, where anything desirable requires another "exclusive" subscription.
 
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I've been using Hulu's ad-supported tier as per 2020 Black Friday deal, at $1.99/month. While I like the service, ads are annoying enough that I've decided not to continue the subscription at $5.99/month, let alone now $6.99/month. $3.99/month is the most I would tolerate paying.

Regarding Disney Bundle, $13.99 or $19.99/month compares favorably to Netflix's $17.99/month. But these services feel very disjointed to me. At the very least, I would like to see universal search for Disney+ and Hulu, with more consistent look and feel. ESPN app is an absolute mess as far as navigation is concerned, and I really dislike it bombarding me with contents I cannot watch (that requires live TV ESPN subscription).

So for now, I will stick to Disney+ subscription only.
 
I've kept an ad-free subscription to Hulu going for several years, just out of habit - we don't seem to watch it that much anymore. Think I'll be moving to the "subscribe long enough to watch what I want, then unsubscribe" model I've been using for other services (like I've done with All Access / Paramount Plus / Star-Trek-orama / Whatever it's called this month).
 
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TheYayAreaLiving said:
People still using HULU in 2021?
Click to expand...
What are you saying? I think I use Hulu as much as HBO Max. Is something wrong with me?

Per the article, "One of Hulu’s big selling points is that it’s the only service that gives viewers next-day access to current shows from each of the major U.S. broadcast networks." I use it for FX and NBC shows as well as some NBC, SNL, vintage stuff etc.
 
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srbNYC said:
What are you saying? I think I use Hulu as much as HBO Max. Is something wrong with me?

Per the article, "One of Hulu’s big selling points is that it’s the only service that gives viewers next-day access to current shows from each of the major U.S. broadcast networks." I use it for FX and NBC shows as well as some NBC, SNL, vintage stuff etc.
Click to expand...
That’s awesome. I thought HULU was not as popular as Netflix. I’m glad you find it very useful.
 
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I already had Hulu before Disney+. Then, I subscribed to Disney+ much later. Since I had an account on both platforms already by the same bundles became on option (I don't recall a bundle being an option when I first subscribed to Disney+), they made it such a hassle to bundle the two accounts. Each platform would basically tell me that I already had an account on the other platform every time I tried to bundle them.
 
Well, there's another hint that I need to cancel Hulu. We barely use Netflix as is, we really only have Disney for the Marvel content (and our college kid's "nostalgia" Disney Channel content), we're already paying out the nose for a service that includes Prime Video "at no extra cost", and there's actually stuff that we can stream from our local library. Why keep paying for Hulu?

EDIT: After going back through my account, I realize they have a lot of anime that I haven't seen yet, and in better-than-downloadable quality. Decisions, decisions...
 
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So the way it bills me currently is $11.99 for Hulu (No Ads), because I had a Hulu account before the bundle, and then my Disney+ bundle is discounted to $8. Is it going to be smart enough when this price change occurs to not charge $12.99 and not lower the price of the bundle to $7 so it stays $19.99?
 
Hulu is great and I already have the bundle. That being said these price increases are unfortunate regardless.
 
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I think Hulu is using the new, yet unreleased Mxx Macs for background services, and since Apple will increase prices (a la rumors here on MR in the past few days), they are just being proactive /s
 
KaliYoni said:
Hulu's ad-insertion and targeting algorithm is terrible! It's intrusive, random, and repetitive. Maybe that's deliberate in order to drive people to pay up for a premium subscription. Either way, it's ANNOYING.

I sure wish there was a company that offered one-stop-shopping for all these channels, a single bill each month, and a free set-top box for my TV...oh, wait a minute!

Seriously, the extreme balkanization of streaming video content providers is yet another example of how what's good for the entertainment business is bad for viewers. We've gone from one extreme, forced bundles of huge numbers of channels, to another extreme, where anything desirable requires another "exclusive" subscription.
Click to expand...

There's no reason to subscribe to all of them. If the subscriptions I have don't have that particular show or movie I wanted to see. I just shrug my shoulders and find something else interesting to watch. Plus keep loaded up watch lists. So, I don't have to spend too much time searching.
 
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