In a major move by Disney, the company announced Wednesday that U.S. customers are getting a new app that combines Disney+ and Hulu content.
During Disney’s quarterly results, CEO Bob Iger announced that the company will launch a single app for its two top streaming services later this year. However, Disney also plans to keep Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ as standalone platforms.
“It’s a logical progression for us [direct-to-consumer] “Offerings that provide greater opportunities for advertisers while giving subscribers access to more robust and optimized content, leading to greater audience engagement and ultimately a more consistent streaming experience,” Iger said during the earnings call.
Many of us have been anticipating this announcement since former Disney CEO Chapek hinted at the plans in September 2022.
“Currently, if you want to move from Hulu to Disney+ via ESPN+, you have to switch from one app to another app. In the future we may have less friction,” Chapek said diversity last year.
This also appears to confirm that Disney will buy Comcast’s stake in Hulu. Disney is reportedly expected to buy Comcast’s stake in Hulu by 2023 or 2024. Currently, Comcast owns 33% and Disney owns 66%.
The integration follows other films from competitors such as Paramount in combination with Showtime, as well as Warner Bros. Discovery and its new streaming service Max, which brings HBO Max and Discovery+ together on one platform.
The news comes after Disney+ lost four million subscribers in the second quarter of 2023. Hulu added 200,000 subscribers.
