The cost of being a cord cutter continues to get pricier.
Hulu will raise the price of its Live TV monthly subscriptions by $10 as of Dec. 18, the streaming service announced Friday.
The price for the basic Hulu + Live TV plan (with ads on the on-demand content) will increase from $44.99 to $54.99. The price for Hulu + Live TV with no ads while watching on-demand content will be $60.99.
Hulu’s Live TV service, launched in 2017, has more than 60 live TV channels, including ESPN, Fox Sports, CNN, TNT, Bravo and major broadcast networks across much of the USA.
Hulu has about 28.5 million paid subscribers, Walt Disney Co. announced this month. The company does not break out how many pay for on-demand streaming or live TV streaming. The entertainment giant has a controlling share in the streaming service. Disney acquired Fox’s 30% stake as part of its $71 billion acquisition of the Fox movie and TV studios, which became official this year. Also this year, the Disney-controlled Hulu paid $1.4 billion for the 9.5% stake owned by AT&T. Comcast (NBC) owns 30%.
Streaming successes: Cord-cutting has reached an epic new level
Disney+ hits landmark: New service surpasses 10 million signups for new streaming service in first day
The live TV streaming business is a tough one. Hulu Live is ahead of competitors such as Sling TV and DirecTV Now and has about 2.7 million subscribers, MoffettNathanson estimates. The research firm forecasts that growth in internet-delivered live TV services could “stall far faster than previously imagined” in its Q3 Cord-Cutting Monitor report.
Sony announced it would shutter its PlayStation Vue live TV service Jan. 30, 2020. “Unfortunately, the highly competitive Pay TV industry, with expensive content and network deals, has been slower to change than we expected,” said John Kodera, deputy president of Sony Interactive Entertainment. “Because of this, we have decided to remain focused on our core gaming business.”
“The new price better reflects the substantial value of Hulu + Live TV and allows us to continue offering all of the popular live news, sports and entertainment programming included in the plan,” Hulu’s blog post said.
This is the second time this year Hulu has raised prices. In January, Hulu increased the two live TV plans by $5 and $7, respectively. It has made its on-demand offering more appealing by including it for $12.99 with the new Disney+ streaming service and ESPN+.
Hulu will gain TV and movies in the months to come. For starters, it will get R-rated content such as the Deadpool films acquired in the Fox deal.
Disney is “creating a huge FX presence on Hulu,” CEO Robert Iger said while discussing the company’s third-quarter performance.
In addition to more than 40 FX series, FX will produce new series just for FX on Hulu, including “Mrs. America,” starring Cate Blanchett; “A Teacher,” with Kate Mara; and “The Old Man,” with Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.
