After partnering with the Walt Disney Co. to offer Disney Plus (with ads) for free to its Spectrum TV Select packages, Charter Communications recently expanded the agreement to include Hulu.
Hulu (with ads) will be available to all Spectrum TV Select customers at no additional cost starting late summer 2025. This will give viewers access to Hulu’s extensive library of hit TV series and films, ad-supported Disney Plus and ESPN’s soon-to-launch streaming service, anticipated by the fall of 2025.
How to connect to Disney Plus and Hulu
If you’re a Spectrum TV Select customer, you can activate your free Disney Plus Basic subscription by creating an account on the Start Streaming Disney Plus On Us homepage. To upgrade to an eligible plan, call Spectrum at 833-839-0144.
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If you have a separate Disney Plus subscription, you can visit the Disney Plus to manage your subscription web page to receive a Spectrum benefit, Charter said.
Hulu can be added to your package as part of Disney Duo, which is available to all customers who are eligible for a Disney Plus Basic subscription. If you activate Disney Plus first, however, you'll still need to set up Hulu and can choose between having ads or no ads.
If purchased as a standalone service, the ad-supported Disney Plus Basic plan costs $9.99 per month. Charter’s latest pricing on its Spectrum TV Select Signature plan is $95 for a 12-month promotional period, after which time the price goes up.
Executive vice president, programming acquisition for Charter, Tom Montemagno, said this new agreement is a doubling down on the company’s strategy to transform the video proposition for consumers with Disney.
"This extension is a true testament to our mutual confidence in this innovative model – which already is showing improvement in subscriber churn – and our commitment to work creatively together to achieve win-win outcomes for both of us and most importantly for our customers," Montemagno said.
Executive vice president, Disney platform distribution, Sean Breen said the streamer is pleased to expand its agreement with Charter.
"This agreement reflects our continued focus on leaning into the strength of Disney’s best-in-class programming across every genre and platform – and our shared commitment with Charter to building innovative, consumer focused distribution models that drive value across the board," Breen said.
Streaming bundles become more popular
Streaming customers have been increasingly moving toward bundles for a better deal, according to a Wall Street Journal report earlier in the year. A bundle can often bring together two subscription-based services even if one of them isn’t for TV streaming.
For example, T-Mobile added Hulu to its Go5G Next wireless subscription plan for free in early 2024. Go5G Next subscribers can also get access to Netflix and Apple TV Plus for free.
Bundling is now one of the top nine ways to save money on your streaming, as we covered in our recent streaming services guide.
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