By Jim Kimble / Updated August 13, 2021
Adding Hulu + Live TV to the Disney Plus bundle isn’t exactly a hidden option, but it’s not well advertised.
Bundling Hulu’s Live TV service with Disney+ and ESPN+ saves you $6.98 per month compared to getting them separately.
I’ll show you step-by-step how to sign up and get the Disney Plus bundle with Hulu + Live TV discount.
How to add Hulu + Live to the Disney+ bundle
There’s only one way to get the $6.98 per month discount with Hulu + Live TV. You need to use the same email address to sign up for Hulu + Live TV and the Disney Plus bundle. But make sure you sign up in this order.
1) Go to Hulu and sign up for Hulu + Live TV
2) Go to this Disney+ page and re-subscribe to the Disney+ bundle
Because you are using the same email address, Disney+ will recognize that you are substituting Hulu on-demand for the Live TV option. A $6.98 credit will be applied each month. You can use this same process if you wanted to subscribe to Hulu (no ads) and the Disney+ bundle.
And don’t worry, this isn’t some shady workaround. These instructions come from Hulu’s own help section.
Why it matters
Live TV streaming services got a little more expensive in the last year.
YouTube TV raised its price for its 85+ channel package to $64.99 per month. And fuboTV did the same — it costs $64.99 per month for 120+ local, entertainment and sports channels.
If you’re in a household that already subscribes to a mix of services, the price can add up quickly.
The upshot is that there are still some cheaper alternatives out there. And it’s easy to cancel or try out new options.
I personally prefer to use my TV antenna as much as possible, and apply some discipline in terms of what I spend on services. Negotiating a lower rate for the Internet is also key. (I’m now paying $30 per month through RCN.)
| Hulu + Live TV & Disney+ bundle | YouTube TV | fuboTV | |||
| Live TV | $64.99 per/mo. | $64.99 per/mo. | $64.99 per/mo. | ||
| # of Streams | 8* | 3 | 3 | ||
| Cloud DVR | 50 hours | unlimited | 250 hours | ||
| Disney+ | $7.99 per/mo. | $7.99 per/mo. | $7.99 per/mo. | ||
| ESPN+ | $6.99 per/mo. | $6.99 per/mo. | $6.99 per/mo. | ||
| Discount | -$6.98 | None | None | ||
| Total | $72.99 | $79.97 | $79.97 |
Disney Plus Bundle Options
There are actually three options for subscribing to the Disney+ bundle. Two options have Hulu on-demand. The third includes Hulu + Live TV.
Here are the other two options:
The best known Disney+ bundle has Hulu (with limited commercials), Disney+ and ESPN+ for $13.99 per month. If you don’t have Hulu yet, you don’t need to sign up for it separately. You can sign up for the Disney Plus bundle in one step. You save $6.98 per month compared to subscribing to them separately.
If you want Hulu’s $11.99 per month no-ads service, then you need to follow the same steps outlined above. Sign up for Hulu (no-ads) first, then (using the same email address) go to Disney+ and sign up for the Disney+ bundle.
(Note: Make sure you use the same email address for Hulu and the Disney Plus bundle so you get the discounted price.)
Bundling saves you $6.98 per month just like with the live TV option.
Founder and Editor of The Cord Cutting Report. Before launching the site in 2016, he worked for more than two decades as a staff writer or correspondent for a number of daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe. His enthusiasm for tech began with the Atari 2600. Follow @james_kimble
Here’s my scenario: I subscribed to the Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ bundle via the Disney site. Now I want to add the Hulu+ Live TV bundle – there is a current promotion that includes Disney+ and ESPN+ with Hulu Live TV. Looks like my only option is to cancel my current Disney+ subscription and upgrade to Live TV+,etc though Hulu’s site?
I can’t seem to get an answer to what seems to me to be a simple question: If I subscribe to Hulu (no ads) and add ESPN+ and/or the Disney bundle through Hulu, will I be able to watch either using other apps (like ESPN, for example). I usually suspend Hulu if there isn’t a good reason to watch it, but if I couldn’t watch ESPN+ on the ESPN app while Hulu is suspended, it seems I’d need to subscribe directly to ESPN+ and then add it to Hulu when turning Hulu back on.
The bundle is a far better deal through Hulu, but NOT if I can’t watch ESPN+ elsewhere if I suspend Hulu. Hulu, of course, has no information on this scenario.
The bundle is an all-or-nothing proposition. So if you’re interested in cancelling Hulu for part of the year, but still have ESPN+, then you need to subscribe to each service individually (i.e. don’t subscribe to ESPN+ through the Hulu app, or through the bundle). I hope that answers your question.
I get Disney plus with Hulu (streaming service) and ESPN without ads for $21.95 a month through Disney Plus