Disney+ and Hulu add to the growing trend of streaming inflation
- ID
- 27792
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 24 Sep 2026, 2:06 AM
- Fetched
- 24 Sep 2026, 3:19 AM
- Provider
- TechCrunch
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/23/disney-and-hulu-add-to-the-growing-trend-of-streaming-inflation/
- Source URL
- https://techcrunch.com/feed/
Summary
- Score
- 2.0
- Created
- 24 Sep 2026, 3:20 AM
- Tags
- Audience
- saas_founders
What happened
Disney is raising ad-free Disney+ and Hulu standalone plans to $21.49/month (from $18.99) and the ad-free bundle to $21.99 (from $19.99), with ad-supported standalone plans going to $12.49. This follows similar hikes by Peacock, Apple TV, and Netflix, and comes as Disney's entertainment streaming revenue hit $5.5 billion in Q3 2026, up 11% year-over-year.
Why it matters
Minimal practical impact for builders. The only tangentially relevant signal is Disney reportedly exploring a free ad-supported tier for Disney+, which would signal further convergence between subscription streaming and FAST/AVOD models — worth noting only if you build in media, ad-tech, or content distribution.
Discussion angle
Skip this segment unless someone in the group works in streaming or ad-tech; the pricing trend is consumer news, not builder news.