Disney is killing off the Hulu app, bringing all content to Disney+

Disney has announced major plans for Hulu – in short, it is getting rid of the Hulu app. This does not mean, however, that Hulu itself is going away.

During an earnings call, Disney revealed that rather than maintain the Hulu app and Disney+ app separately, Hulu content will instead be made available via Disney+. This is a significant change, but it is not going to be happening immediately.

In fact, the planned unification of Disney+ and Hulu content will not be completed until some time in 2026, but there is no closer indication of a timeframe than that.

Bob Iger says that the move should be seen as Hulu being integrated into Disney+:

Today we are announcing a major step forward in strengthening our streaming offering by fully integrating Hulu into Disney. 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.

For Disney, it is much easier – and cheaper – to maintain one streaming media app than two, and for users it means more content is available in one place. Disney sees it as creating “one tech platform”, as Variety reports. But it is not just about simplifying things; it is about money. Specifically, money from advertising.

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.

Disney plans to replace the existing Star content in Disney+ with Hulu content. But this does not mean that a Disney+ subscription will be needed to watch Hulu. Some Hulu content is already available through Disney+, and moving forward it will be possible to subscribe to just Hulu, although viewing will be handled in the Disney+ app.

Quite what this means for pricing is not yet clear. There are already combined Disney+ and Hulu subscription options available, but there is Hulu’s live output to consider.

Initially, Hulu live will be combined with Disney-owned sport-focused Fubo and kept separate from Disney+ and non-live Hulu. But at some point in 2026 – again, no dates have been hinted at – Hulu+ Live TV will also be folded into the Disney+ app.

Iger and Disney CFO Hugh Johnston also talked about other plans, albeit in rather vague terms:

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.

There is a lot of talk of an “improved consumer experience”, but ultimately the changes come down to money. Just what impact this has on the platform as a whole remains to be seen, and the same can be said of subscriber numbers.