2 Major Streaming Services Set to Combine

In major streaming news, Disney said it is “fully integrating” the Hulu streaming app into its flagship Disney+ streamer in 2026.

The move is technically an international expansion for Hulu, which will replace Star as a tile on the international Disney+ service. It comes on the heels of Disney buying Comcast out of Hulu last month, which means Disney now owns Hulu outright.

The news came during Disney’s latest earnings quarterly results on Wednesday morning, with the executive commentary for Q3 revealing Hulu will become a “global general entertainment brand.”

Disney+ currently comprises Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, with the ESPN and Star brands available in select territories.

Variety reports that according to a Disney representative, customers will still be able to buy a stand-alone Hulu subscription (as well as a stand-alone Disney+ plan).

CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said during the earnings call that integrating Hulu into Disney+ is a “major step forward in strengthening our streaming offering.”

“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,” they said.

Iger said both services will be on “one tech platform” for an “improved consumer experience” that will result in cost savings and new ad sales opportunities.

“By creating a truly differentiated streaming offering, we will be providing subscribers tremendous choice, convenience, quality, and enhanced personalization,” the executives said. “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.”

Disney paid Comcast about $9 billion for NBCUniversal’s one-third stake in Hulu in total, including $8.61 billion in November 2023 and $438.7 million in June. Comcast was seeking more than $13 billion.

Many Disney+ users have noticed that Disney has already taken steps to integrate Hulu and Disney+, with the Disney+ app launching full integration of Hulu content in the spring of 2024.

Also on Wednesday’s earnings report, Disney announced it will no longer report streaming subscriber numbers for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, a move Netflix has already made. ESPN’s stand-alone streaming product, priced at $29.99/month, will launch on Aug. 21, the company said Wednesday.