Disney+ and Hulu's Fourth Price Hike in 4 Years Reveals a Bigger Problem

Published Oct 2, 2026, 1:14 PM EDT Erin Konrad's love for everything entertainment dates back to elementary school when she became obsessed with classic Hollywood musicals. When she's not catching up on all her favorite television shows, she's advising her friends and family on what they should binge watch next. She has her Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Creating content for Collider gives her the opportunity to combine her writing skills with her passion for television and movies. She spends her free time trying to beat her personal record of reading 137 books in a year and cuddling with her dog, Gracie. When streaming networks first emerged, they seemed like the perfect alternative to cable television. Viewers were fed up with paying an arm and a leg to catch up on their favorite shows, and "cutting the cord" became a common expression, as people increasingly ditched traditional offerings. Initially, streaming seemed like a much more affordable option. There weren't many platforms to choose from, so you could opt to sign up for whatever service provided the programming you liked. Now, in terms of entertainment options, we've flown way too close to the sun, with the entire streaming landscape poised to suffer for it. One streamer just announced yet another price hike, and it's representative of a much bigger problem. Disney+ and Hulu Are Raising Prices (Again) As streamers noticed that viewers were craving a cheaper option, ad-based subscriptions were introduced, which are now becoming the ideal choice for people who need to cut costs but who still want to subscribe to more than one streamer. Yet even these options are starting to Now, Disney+ and Hulu have announced their fourth price hike in just four years. The initial price for an ad-free subscription to Disney+ back in 2019 was $6.99 a month. With the new increase, it'll cost you $21.49 a month, which amounts to a 207% price increase in just seven years. Even within the last year, the Disney+ plan with no ads is increasing from $18.99 to $21.49. The Disney+ and Hulu bundle is a slightly better bang for your buck: an ad-free plan for both will be $21.99 a month. By far the best deal if you're still interested in sticking with the two combined streamers is the bundle with ads, which will run you only $12.49 a month. Disney+'s Latest Price Hike Raises a Bigger Question About Streaming Subscriptions Numbers aside, Disney+'s latest price hike raises an even more serious question: how much are subscribers willing to pay before they just tune out? The economy is tough right now, and costs for everyday essentials like groceries, gas, and rent are rising sharply. Typically, the first subscription that people cut back on is entertainment. In a time when people are going to be pinching their pennies even more, is it really smart to add another cost increase to their lives? There's also the fact that Disney+ isn't currently offering a ton of new original programming, especially not in the way that Netflix and Apple TV do. While the streamer has found some success with its Star Wars shows (The Mandalorian, Andor) and Marvel programming (WandaVision, Loki), there aren't many current titles that warrant such a massive price hike over the years. By comparison, Hulu has brought in lots of watercooler chatter and awards buzz for shows like The Handmaid's Tale, The Bear, Only Murders in the Building, and Shogun. Hulu also boasts great content in a variety of different genres, including reality hits like The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and The Kardashians. With a bundled package, viewers may feel like they have a lot more content at their fingertips versus Disney+ as a standalone subscription. Ultimately, there's a possibility that subscribers will be turned off by the constant price hikes, and Disney needs to broaden its slate with even more original programming if it wants to justify this change. There's no need to deviate from family-friendly content, but by not offering a wider selection, more and more viewers are going to wonder what they're subscribing for in the first place. There's still a chance that Disney+ can develop a model worthy of paying for, but right now, they're risking becoming known as an overly pricey streamer with less content than the competition.