Streaming subscribers who budgeted for fall premieres are facing a coordinated round of price increases. Disney-owned ESPN notified customers that ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited will cost more starting September 17, while bundled Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN plans also tick upward ahead of Monday Night Football and the college kickoff window.
ESPN tiers
ESPN Unlimited rises from $29.99 to $31.99 per month, with the annual plan moving from $299.99 to $319.99. ESPN Select increases from $12.99 to $13.99 monthly and from $129.99 to $139.99 yearly, according to pricing pages ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro referenced in an internal memo reported by Variety.
Unlimited includes the flagship ESPN linear networks plus college conference feeds; Select offers a slimmer live schedule without the main ESPN channels. Both tiers gained short-form video features during last year’s relaunch, and Disney is now charging more as rights fees and production costs climb.
Bundle math
The ad-supported Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select bundle jumps from $19.99 to $21.99 per month. The ad-free triple bundle moves from $29.99 to $32.99, and a legacy ad-free configuration for existing subscribers rises to $27.99. Hulu’s help center notes that only bundles including ESPN Select are affected on the September 17 billing cycle.
One package that did not change: the ESPN Unlimited trio with ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu remains $35.99 monthly, making it a relative bargain for households that want premium sports plus general entertainment. Cord-cutters are comparing that bundle against skinny-bundle live TV services that also raised sports surcharges this summer.
Peacock and the football calendar
NBC’s Peacock implemented its own increases in August, lifting Select to $8.99 and Premium Plus to $19.99 monthly, with existing subscribers seeing changes on or after September 17. Clark.com noted that the timing aligns with NFL and college football returns, when sports streamers historically test willingness to pay.
Analysts say the hikes are modest in dollar terms but psychologically sharp after years of promotional pricing. Households stacking multiple services can easily add $10 to $15 per month without changing viewing habits.
What viewers can do
Customers can audit which tier actually matches their teams: college fans may need Unlimited, while NFL-only households might rotate between Peacock’s Sunday night package and an ESPN bundle during playoff weeks. Annual plans still offer a discount but require upfront cash.
Studios argue that live sports rights are inflationary and that ad-supported tiers keep entry prices lower than cable. Subscribers counter that fragmented bundles recreate the cable bill with fewer customer-service options. For now, the industry’s answer is another September price letter—timed to coincide with kickoff.
