Disney to integrate Hulu and Disney+ in 2026

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Walt Disney Co. is on track to fully integrate its streaming platforms Hulu and Disney+ in 2026.

Hulu isn’t going away. Disney hasn’t announced plans to shut down the separate Hulu app, but they are working on combining Hulu’s shows and movies into Disney+ sometime next year.

Disney, the entertainment company based in Burbank, said last summer it would combine content from Hulu and Disney+. However, company leaders stated on Tuesday that they don’t yet have a specific date for when the combined service will be available.

During an August earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger explained that they’re combining Hulu and Disney+ into a single app. This will give subscribers access to a wider range of content – including shows, movies, news, and sports – all in one place, strengthening Disney’s streaming service.

Hollywood Inc.

With the year ending, let’s take a look at the most important developing stories in Hollywood and offer some predictions about what’s to come.

Disney gained control of Hulu in 2019 when it bought a large portion of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox company for $72 billion. However, fully combining Hulu with Disney’s other services was delayed until recently. This happened after Disney finally bought out Comcast’s one-third ownership of Hulu, following some disagreements between the two companies.

Until 2019, Hulu was owned by Comcast’s NBCUniversal, Disney and Fox.

I was so impressed to see Disney recently updated the Disney+ app! Now it’s incredibly easy to switch between Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN – it feels like one big entertainment hub, and it’s a really smooth experience. It’s a small change, but it makes a huge difference for someone like me who uses all three services!

Disney announced that Hulu will remain its main brand for general entertainment content, continuing to offer popular shows like “Only Murders in the Building,” “Paradise,” and “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”

Hollywood Inc.

Disney’s $71 billion acquisition of entertainment properties from Rupert Murdoch – including popular shows like ‘The Simpsons,’ the ‘Avatar’ franchise, and the streaming service Hulu – has created financial challenges for the company. Recently, Disney announced plans to cut 7,000 jobs as part of a cost-cutting effort.

Disney+ subscribers outside the US now see the Hulu logo instead of Star. Disney made this change in October as part of a planned update. Star was a TV service, originally popular in India, that Disney obtained when it acquired parts of Fox almost seven years ago.

Disney also runs Hulu + Live TV, a service that lets you watch regular TV channels like ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, and ESPN for a monthly fee. In the future, they plan to combine Hulu + Live TV with the Disney+ app, making everything available in one place.

Hulu subscribers will continue to be able to access the app well into next year.

Once the new platform launches, Hulu customers will still have access to their favorite Hulu shows. However, Disney is building the platform to encourage people to sign up for a Disney bundle. Ultimately, Disney wants to keep subscribers engaged and using the Disney+ app more often, rather than canceling their subscriptions.

Hollywood Inc.

Popular streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV+ are now charging more for their subscriptions. This price increase comes as the rapid growth they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic has started to slow down.

Disney is finishing the year strong after a successful run at the movie theaters. Two of their films, “Zootopia 2” and “Lilo & Stitch,” both earned over $1 billion globally. Plus, the new James Cameron film, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” released this month, has already brought in over $750 million worldwide.

The company’s TV creators are being asked to produce more original shows for both television and streaming platforms.

According to Nielsen’s latest report, Disney only had three shows or movies appear in the top 10 most-watched streaming programs for the week ending in November.

As a critic, I’ve been looking at the streaming charts, and it’s interesting to see what’s grabbing viewers. Most of the top shows aren’t originals – they’re titles picked up from other places. For example, “Homeland,” which first aired over ten years ago on Showtime, is still hanging in there on both Hulu and Netflix, though it landed at number five for the week and was easily beaten by the record-breaking “Stranger Things.” The real surprise? Paramount+’s “Landman,” from Taylor Sheridan, was the second most popular show overall – a strong showing for a newer series.

The animated comedy “Bob’s Burgers,” which airs on Fox and streams on Hulu, came in seventh place. Right behind it, at number eight, was the popular Australian kids’ cartoon “Bluey,” available on Disney+.

So, as a huge fan of classic TV, I’m hearing Disney is working on bringing back some old favorites! Apparently, they’re planning reboots of shows like “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Scrubs,” which were originally made by 20th Television. It’s exciting to think about seeing those worlds revisited, though it’s always a little nerve-wracking when they try to remake something you love!

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2025-12-31 00:01