Disney is raising prices across several Disney+ and Hulu subscription plans, adding to a broader wave of price increases across the streaming industry. The move comes as major platforms seek to improve streaming profitability while continuing to finance expensive original content, technology infrastructure and increasingly competitive programming.

Disney+ and Hulu Get Another Price Increase

Disney’s latest adjustment raises the monthly price of its standalone ad-free Disney+ and Hulu plans by $2.50, or about 13%, to $21.49 from $18.99. Ad-supported versions of both services increase by $0.50 to $12.49 per month, while the ad-free Disney+/Hulu bundle rises by $2 to $21.99. The changes took effect for new subscribers on September 23, with existing customers seeing the higher prices on their next billing cycle.

Not every plan is becoming more expensive. Disney is keeping the ad-supported Disney+/Hulu bundle at $12.99 per month, creating a clear pricing gap between the bundled option and the individual services. The structure suggests that Disney is continuing to use bundles and advertising as tools to manage customer retention while increasing revenue per subscriber where pricing power allows.

Streaming Prices Are Moving Higher Across the Industry

Disney’s decision comes after several competitors increased prices. Apple TV raised its monthly subscription price from $12.99 to $14.99 in August, while Peacock increased its Premium plan from $10.99 to $12.99 and Premium Plus from $16.99 to $19.99. Peacock also raised its annual plans, with Premium now costing $129.99 compared with $109.99 previously.

The broader pattern matters because streaming platforms increasingly face the same economic challenge: content costs remain high, while subscriber growth is becoming more difficult to generate through low introductory prices alone. Higher subscription fees can lift average revenue per user, but they also increase the risk of cancellations, downgrades and consumers rotating between competing services.

Bundles and Advertising Become More Important

Disney’s pricing structure highlights the strategic importance of alternative revenue models. By keeping the $12.99 ad-supported Disney+/Hulu bundle unchanged, the company preserves a relatively lower-cost entry point while maintaining opportunities to generate advertising revenue. The company is also continuing to integrate Hulu more deeply into Disney+, with broader integration planned by the end of the year.

For investors, the next phase will be defined by whether higher prices translate into stronger streaming economics without materially damaging engagement or subscriber retention. Disney will need to balance pricing power against competition from Netflix, Apple TV, Peacock and other platforms, while demonstrating that its content investment can justify higher monthly costs. Subscriber trends, churn, advertising revenue, bundle adoption and profitability will therefore remain important indicators of whether the latest round of streaming price increases can support sustainable growth.