Hulu App to Be Phased Out; ‘Absolutely Integrating’ Into Disney+

Say ciao to the stand-alone Hulu streaming app: Disney mentioned it’s “fully integrating” the Hulu service, which it now owns 100%, into its flagship Disney+ streamer.

A brand new “unified” Disney+ and Hulu streaming app will likely be obtainable in 2026, the corporate mentioned. According to a Disney rep, prospects will nonetheless be capable of purchase a stand-alone Hulu subscription (in addition to a stand-alone Disney+ plan).

“Today we are announcing a major step forward in strengthening our streaming offering by fully integrating Hulu into Disney+,” CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston mentioned in ready commentary on the media large’s quarterly earnings. “This will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the highest-caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news and industry-leading live sports content in a single app.”

The single Disney+ app with Hulu will ship an “improved consumer experience,” which can decrease churn, Iger mentioned on the earnings name. Both providers will likely be “on one tech platform,” which can end in price synergies, based on Iger. In addition, Disney — which already sells adverts for Disney+ and Hulu collectively — sees new alternatives for bundling advert gross sales by totally combining them, he mentioned.

In their ready remarks, the Disney execs mentioned, “By creating a truly differentiated streaming offering, we will be providing subscribers tremendous choice, convenience, quality, and enhanced personalization. This will enhance our ability to continue to grow profitability and margins in our entertainment streaming business through expected higher engagement, lower churn, and advertising revenue potential, as well as operational efficiencies that over time may result in savings that we can reinvest back into the business.”

In addition, Hulu will develop into a worldwide basic leisure model: Starting within the fall of 2025, it can substitute the Star tile on Disney+ internationally.

“Work is already underway to continue enhancing our technology, and over the coming months, we will be implementing numerous improvements within the Disney+ app, including exciting new features and a more personalized homepage,” Iger and Johnston mentioned.

Meanwhile, Hulu’s dwell TV enterprise will likely be mixed Fubo, underneath a proposed three way partnership majority-owned by Disney. The Hulu + Live TV and Fubo manufacturers will stay individually bought and marketed. A Disney rep confirmed that Hulu + Live TV will finally be built-in into Disney+ someday in 2026.

The transfer to totally sew Hulu along with Disney+ comes after Disney — following two years of negotiating — closed its cope with Comcast to purchase out NBCUniversal‘s one-third stake in Hulu in June 2025. Disney paid Comcast in complete about $9 billion, together with $8.61 billion in November 2023 and $438.7 million this previous June. Comcast had been in search of greater than $13 billion for the 33% Hulu stake; the ultimate price ticket was decided via arbitration by a third-party banker.

Disney has already taken steps to combine Hulu and Disney+. In the spring of 2024, the Disney+ app launched “full” integration of Hulu content material, which the corporate has used as a method to convert stand-alone Disney+ prospects into bundled Disney+/Hulu subs.

Also Wednesday, Disney introduced that it’s going to now not report streaming subscriber numbers for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, following the lead of Netflix and others.

In addition, the corporate set Aug. 21 because the launch date for its ESPN stand-alone streaming product, priced at $29.99/month.