If you’re paying for Hulu as a stand-alone streaming experience, things are about to get a bit more expensive.
The popular streaming TV provider has announced a price increase for one of its most popular products.
Team Clark has all the details.
Hulu’s Video On-Demand Service Will Increase Its Price Soon
The Hulu video on-demand streaming service will increase its price on October 8, 2021. Both the ad-free and ad-supported subscriptions are going up by $1 per month.
The basic service with commercials will move from $5.99 per month to $6.99, while the ad-free upgrade will go from $11.99 to $12.99.
| Service | Before October 8, 2021 | October 8, 2021, and beyond |
| Hulu ad-free | $11.99 per month | $12.99 per month |
| Hulu with ads | $5.99 per month | $6.99 per month |
Hulu began notifying subscribers of this change on Tuesday via email.
This change applies to both new and existing customers. So there’s no avoiding it if you’re a subscriber to this version of Hulu.
Many Hulu Subscribers Won’t Be Affected By This Change
As you may have noticed in the chart above, the pricing changes impact only the stand-alone version of Hulu’s original on-demand product.
This is not the only way to pay for Hulu on-demand. There are still other ways to obtain the streaming service via a bundle or live TV package. These appear to be immune to the price change (for now).
Disney Bundle Package Remains Unchanged
One of the more popular streaming bundle packages will not be impacted by this news. The Disney streaming bundle, which includes Disney+, ESPN+ and the ad-supported version of Hulu will remain $13.99 per month.
This bundle saw a price increase earlier in 2021 (from $12.99 to $13.99), so subscribers are dodging any further damage that comes with this news.
Hulu + Live TV Subscribers Still Will Get Hulu Included
If you’re a Hulu + Live TV subscriber, you’ll be happy to know that your access to the on-demand version of Hulu is not subject to this pricing change.
You’ll still get Hulu as a part of your living TV streaming package, which starts at $64.99 per month.
Why Is This Price Change Happening?
The short answer is: It was simply Hulu’s turn.
Hulu, which is owned by both Disney and Comcast, is just the latest Disney-backed streaming product to see a price increase in 2021.
Disney+, which debuted in 2019, jumped $1 per month earlier this year.
ESPN+ followed suit by raising its price by $1 per month in July.
And before that, Hulu’s live TV service saw a jump from $55 per month up to $65 per month. That price matches popular rival YouTube TV for base pricing.
This is presumably part of an industry-wide strategy that involves services first offering discounted pricing to build a user base before raising prices to recoup costs and boost profit in the long term.
What Shows Are Exclusive to Hulu?
As you weigh your options between accepting the Hulu price hike or canceling your service, we figure you may want to know what Hulu offers you that you can’t find anywhere else.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the more popular Hulu original titles:
- The Handmaid’s Tale
- The Mindy Project
- Little Fires Everywhere
- Castlerock
- Only Murders in the Building
Hulu is also the streaming home of popular animated series including Family Guy, American Dad and Bob’s Burgers as well as hit shows such as Justified, Homeland and How I Met Your Mother.
It’s also worth noting that Hulu is about to lose its exclusive streaming rights to Seinfeld. The all-time popular sitcom will move to Netflix in October.
Final Thoughts
The pricing increase for Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ in 2021 seems to be a move that is pushing consumers to consider the bundle for all three products.
If you have a moderate interest in at least two of the three services, it makes sense to go ahead and pay the $13.99 per month to get the bundle that includes all of them.
So if you’re a standalone Hulu on-demand subscriber who is annoyed by this latest price hike, you may want to consider signing up for the bundle.
Of course, you could also opt to cancel and return only when you need access to a show. The nice part about these video on-demand streaming services is that there are no long-term commitments.
That leaves you free to move from one to another as you desire.
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