Disney Raises Disney+ and Hulu Prices Again as Streaming Costs Climb

Disney is raising the price of its ad-free Disney+ and Hulu bundle to $21.99 a month, up from $19.99, marking the company's second major streaming price hike in roughly a year.

The ad-free stand-alone plans are each rising to $21.49 per month, up from $18.99. Disney is also increasing the price of its stand-alone ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu plans to $12.49 a month. The new prices are reflected on Disney+'s support page. Bloomberg was the first to report the changes.

An Industry-Wide Pattern

Disney+ and Hulu are hardly alone. Streaming companies have spent the past several years steadily increasing prices. Peacock and Apple TV raised prices in August, while Netflix increased prices earlier this year.

The distance from Disney+'s launch pricing is striking. When the service debuted in 2019, its basic monthly subscription cost $6.99. Since then, the service has gradually moved away from that intro price as Disney has tried to turn streaming into a profitable part of its entertainment business.

The strategy is producing results. 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.

Beyond Price Hikes

At the same time, Disney appears to be exploring new ways to expand its streaming business beyond simply raising subscription prices.

The company has reportedly explored the possibility of introducing a free tier for Disney+. That could put the company in more direct competition with platforms such as YouTube and Tubi, which have been capturing a growing share of consumers' viewing time.

Earlier this month, Disney+ introduced "Playlists," a new feature designed to help users discover and continuously watch curated selections of content.

Disney is also making changes on the technology side. The company 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.

The latest price increases underscore how central streaming has become to Disney's overall business — and how far the company will push subscribers to fund that growth. With a free tier reportedly under consideration, the question now is whether Disney can keep raising prices while chasing the ad-supported audiences that rivals have already captured.