Hulu + Live TV is one of several streaming services planning to increase prices as 2022 comes to a close.
But unlike the mandatory price hikes from some of its competitors, there is a way that Hulu + Live TV customers can avoid paying more — at least for now.
How To Avoid the Upcoming Hulu + Live TV Price Hike
If you’re a Hulu + Live TV customer, you probably received an in-app or email notification recently that the price for your service will be going up in December 2022.
This is actually a follow-through on price hikes that were announced for Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ back in August.
If you’re paying for the base Hulu + Live TV package, which includes The Disney Bundle, you were likely notified that the price would be changing from $69.99 to $74.99.
While that’s true, there actually is a way that you can keep your $69.99 monthly bill under the new pricing model, at least for a while.
If you’re willing to endure ads with your Disney+ experience, you can move to the ad-supported version of Disney+ in your bundle and keep the $69.99 monthly bill.
Here’s a look at the options you’ll have under the new pricing policy.
| Bundle Type | Current Pricing | New Pricing |
| Hulu + Live TV channels, Disney+ (with ads), Hulu (on-demand, with ads), ESPN+ (with ads) | N/A | $69.99 |
| Hulu + Live TV channels, Disney+ (no ads), Hulu (on-demand, with ads), ESPN+ (with ads) | $69.99 | $74.99 |
| Hulu + Live TV channels, Disney+ (no ads), Hulu (on-demand, no ads), ESPN+ (with ads) | $74.99 | $82.99 |
Note that basic subscribers are actually paying for the second option on that list. The first option, which retails at $69.99, is a “new” subscription level. To get it, you’ll have to opt into it via your account settings menu on Hulu’s app or website.
If you take no action, you’ll keep the second option on the list and will be billed the increased rate at $74.99 beginning in December.
Disney+ Is the Primary Reason for the Price Hike
You may be wondering why another price hike is happening for the Hulu + Live TV service. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that the service increased its price from $64.99.
The short answer is: Disney+ is raising prices, so your Hulu + Live TV price has to go up, too.
But let’s go deeper.
Do you remember when Hulu + Live TV decided to give you The Disney Bundle as part of your live TV subscription when it raised prices (from 64.99 to $69.99 per month for the base package)? At the time, that actually felt like a value because you were effectively getting Disney+ (retail $8 per month) and ESPN+ (retail $10 per month) added to your subscription for just an extra $5 per month.
But now that Disney+ is launching an ad-supported service and raising the price of the ad-free experience, Hulu’s live TV service that includes the bundle is following suit in the increase.
All that being said, you’re still getting a pretty good deal on Hulu’s live service plus the three streaming services included in The Disney Bundle.
The Disney Bundle as a stand-alone product will cost at least $13 per month beginning in December. So even if you were paying the old $64.99 price for Hulu’s live TV service, you’d still have to pay more per month if you wanted to subscribe to both separately.
Of course, you don’t really get that choice anymore. But it’s still cheaper than paying for live TV from a competitor such as YouTube TV or fuboTV and then buying The Disney Bundle separately.
Final Thoughts
Price increases have become the one constant in the everchanging streaming TV market. It hasn’t been a matter of if the prices will go up on your service; it’s just been a question of when and how much.
This has been especially true in the live TV streaming sector, which has several competitors trying not only to convince you to cut the cord from your cable company but also to pick them over the other livestreaming options.
Hulu is not alone in increasing prices.
YouTube TV now costs $65 per month after promising some customers $35 for the long-haul just a few years ago. Even value streaming services such as Sling have upped pricing, from $20 per month all the way to $40 for a basic package, through gradual increases over the years.
This may come off as corporate greed to some, but each of these services have costly broadcasting rights they have to pay for in order to ensure they have the channels you want to watch.
Many of them claim they were keeping subscription prices artificially low as a way to gain subscribers and carve out a share of the cord-cutting market. And as those bills come due on those broadcasting rights, we’re seeing prices go up.
Will you pay the new prices for Hulu + Live TV? We’d love to hear about your strategy in the Clark.com community.
