Hulu can be phased out as a stand-alone app in 2026, with Disney confirming it’s “absolutely integrating” the service — now wholly owned by the corporate — into its flagship Disney+ platform.
Beginning in autumn 2025, Hulu will change the Star model on Disney+ internationally.
Hulu to merge into Disney+
A “unified” Disney+ and Hulu streaming app will launch in 2026, the corporate introduced. A Disney consultant mentioned clients will nonetheless have the ability to buy a stand-alone Hulu subscription, in addition to a stand-alone Disney+ plan.
“Right this moment we’re saying a serious step ahead in strengthening our streaming providing by absolutely integrating Hulu into Disney+,” CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston mentioned in ready commentary on the media large’s quarterly earnings.
“This may create a formidable package deal of leisure, pairing the highest-caliber manufacturers and franchises, nice normal leisure, household programming, information and industry-leading stay sports activities content material in a single app,” they added.
Iger instructed buyers the only Disney+ app with Hulu will ship an “improved client expertise,” which can decrease churn. Each companies can be “on one tech platform,” which he mentioned would lead to value synergies. Disney — which already sells adverts for Disney+ and Hulu collectively — additionally sees “new alternatives for bundling advert gross sales by absolutely combining them.”
When will the combination happen?
Hulu’s stay TV enterprise can be merged with Fubo underneath a proposed three way partnership majority-owned by Disney. Whereas Hulu + Reside TV and Fubo will stay individually marketed for now, a Disney consultant confirmed Hulu + Reside TV can be built-in into Disney+ in 2026.
The combination has been underway for a while. In spring 2024, the Disney+ app launched “full” integration of Hulu content material, aimed toward changing stand-alone Disney+ subscribers into bundled Disney+/Hulu clients.
At what worth will customers get to buy Hulu subscription?
Additionally on Wednesday, Disney introduced it can cease reporting streaming subscriber numbers for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, following the lead of Netflix and others. The corporate additionally set August 21 because the launch date for its ESPN stand-alone streaming product, priced at $29.99 monthly.
