Is Disney Shutting Down Hulu?
Jeremy Allen White in The Bear.
By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.
TV Answer Man, is Disney getting rid of Hulu? That’s what I’m hearing. Is that correct? – Blaine, Abilene, Texas.
Blaine, the answer is yes and no. Let me explain.
Disney CEO Robert Iger revealed yesterday in an investors call that Hulu’s programming will be integrated into the Disney+ app in 2026. That doesn’t mean that Hulu is going away but it does mean that it won’t have its own app next year. Subscribers instead will go to Disney+ app and click on a Hulu tile to watch Hulu programming such as The Bear (pictured above.)
“This will create an impressive package of entertainment pairing the highest caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, kids programming, news and industry-leading live sports content, all in a single app,” Iger said. “By creating a differentiated streaming offering, we will be providing subscribers tremendous choice, convenience, quality and enhanced personalization, while at the same time, continuing to grow profitability and margins in our entertainment streaming business through expected higher engagement, lower churn, operational efficiencies and greater advertising revenue potential.”
The move isn’t terribly surprising for anyone who recently tried to subscribe to Hulu as a separate service. Disney’s web site clearly tries to steer users to get the Disney/Hulu bundle instead of just Hulu.
Why Is Disney Plus Merging With Hulu?
By combining the two, Disney believes it can generate more subscribers because the single app will have a greater variety of programming and therefore a greater appeal. In addition, the company can charge more for the Disney/Hulu combined bundle.
Blaine, I hope that answers your question. Happy viewing and stay safe!
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Phillip Swann
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The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered television for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch TV. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
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I make use of the Hulu Black Friday deal. I wonder if that will go away.
Didn’t HBO try something similar last year and it was a spectacular failure. HBO tried this move last year when they combined all the hbo programs with the shows on the other networks Warner Brothers owned. It was a disaster. A year later they separated them all out.