Remember the days when streaming services were cheaper than cable bundles? I vaguely do. And unfortunately, those days are becoming more and more of a distant memory.
On Monday, Hulu announced that it was increasing the price of its live TV package to $64.99/month, putting it on par with YouTube TV (which increased to the same amount over the summer). The price change goes into effect as of Friday, December 18th.
Here’s the note sent out by Hulu to customers, via The Streamable.
As we continue to refine the Hulu + Live TV experience, we’re reaching out to let you know the price of your Hulu + Live TV plan will increase from $54.99/month to $64.99/month on Friday, December 18, 2020.
Hulu + Live TV continues to be the only live TV streaming service that offers an entire on-demand streaming library – including more than 70,000 TV episodes and movies, and award-winning Hulu Originals – along with more than 65 live news, sports, and entertainment channels, all in one place.
The price adjustment will be reflected in your first billing cycle on or after December 18. As always, it’s easy to switch back and forth between our subscription plans. Explore all of our plan options to find the one that best fits your viewing needs, or to cancel, visit your Account page.
The Hulu Team
fuboTV also got a price hike over the summer, increasing to $60/month. Notably, all of these streaming services have dropped channels this year in spite of the hikes. fubo dropped a bunch of WarnerMedia networks, including TBS and TNT. However, it did add MLB Network and the ESPN family of networks. YouTube TV added NFL Network for the start of football season, and then dropped the Sinclair-owned Fox RSNs. Hulu also made the decision to drop those RSNs last month.
Interestingly enough, Hulu Live’s last price increase came a year ago yesterday, when its price was upped by $10 to $54.99/month. That means that in the span of a little over a year, Hulu Live subscribers have seen their subscription cost increase by 44% from $44.99 to $64.99.
Given all these price increases, maybe the cable bundle isn’t the worst option in the world anymore. My only advice is to do the research and try to find the best option for you instead of automatically deciding that cutting the cord is the only choice.
