Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

Disney is finally buying all of Hulu, but this is what that actually means for Disney Plus, Hulu subscribers

You'll still need two subscriptions if you want all of the content

Joe Allen
By
Trio of logos for the Disney plus bundle that includes Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu.
Disney

For years now, the Disney bundle has given you access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, but all three services have existed as entirely separate apps. Following the news that Disney has finally bought out Comcast’s stake in Hulu, CEO Bob Iger has announced that integration between the two apps is set to begin in December.

What Disney’s complete control of Hulu means for subscribers

Disney has long had an ownership stake in Hulu, so you could purchase subscriptions to both services in a single bundle. Now, Disney’s full ownership stake means that the company can begin the process of launching a single app that contains multiple properties, which is more like the way Warner Bros.’ Max app works.

Recommended Videos

Iger said during a recent investor call that the company was on track to launch “a one-app experience on Disney+” by March of 2024. Practically, that will mean that all of the content you now watch on Hulu will become available inside of Disney+, and the Hulu app will cease to exist. Hulu will now be known as “Hulu on Disney+,” but it remains to be seen exactly what the new app experience will look like. It seems likely that Hulu will maintain its own hub, which has shows like Only Murders in the Building and The Bear, which don’t fit neatly into Disney+’s existing brand identity.

Related

Bundle subscribers will be the first to see the integration

If you’re a subscriber to the Disney bundle, you’ll be the first to see what Hulu will look like when it sits inside Disney+. This beta rollout will be aimed specifically at parents who might want to set up parental blocks around the more adult-oriented content that will be coming to the platform with Hulu, and the goal is for a full launch to happen in March.

“We are bullish about the future of our streaming business,” Iger said. “Imagine the opportunities a combined Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN streaming experience can offer us as a company and consumers.”

Iger also added that he believes this new, combined Disney+ will lead to upselling opportunities and less churn, as subscribers are apparently less likely to let go of a subscription when it’s bundled.

You’ll still need two separate subscriptions, or the Disney bundle, to get everything

Although this new single-app experience is obviously designed primarily for the bundlers, Iger didn’t offer any indication that this new approach would also lead to a change in how subscriptions work. You won’t be forced to pay for Hulu to get access to Disney+, and if you want access to both, you’ll still need to pay for both, either through two separate subscriptions or through the bundle (which is the cheaper option if you want both).

If you choose to bundle, though, you’ll lose access to both services if you decide to unsubscribe. Of course, you could always resubscribe to a single streamer, but doing that may ultimately be more work than it’s worth. That’s definitely what Iger’s hoping.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Joe Allen
Joe Allen
Contributor
Joe Allen is a freelance culture writer based in upstate New York. His work has been published in The Washington Post, The…
The best Tim Burton movies of all time, ranked
If you're a fan of Burton, then don't miss seeing any of these films
Beetlejuice

Even though it isn't Halloween movie season, we can still examine the contemporary film landscape and appreciate the few who have influenced (and have been influenced by) horror cinema -- such as Tim Burton (even though he’s never really made a proper horror movie).

Burton rose to prominence in the middle and late 1980s, as his unique Halloween-inflected films took a critical look at America’s middle class and the relentless conventionality it demanded. His eye-catching aesthetic, inspired by German expressionism and the history of haunted cinema, gave a different visual context to stories about loners and those who felt maligned by mainstream society.

Read more
These are the best Disney Plus movies to watch in April
If you've a Disney Plus member, stream these movies this month
Princess Bride

Disney is arguably the most iconic entertainment brand in the world. The company's properties, both original and acquired, combine to produce content that transcends age demographics. Disney has built a brand that's beloved by children, and those children eventually age into adults who introduce their kids to the films they loved when they were young. Disney's animation alone has made it iconic, but in recent years, the company has also acquired some of the biggest pieces of intellectual property there are. And, with Disney Plus available on any device, you can watch all these movies whenever you want.

Between its acquisitions of both Marvel and Star Wars, there's a good chance that whatever you love is being shepherded to screens both large and small by Disney. When they launched Disney+, the company was sure to fill it with both those nostalgic animated classics and plenty of new stuff as well. It's meant to be a streaming service for all ages, which is why the selection of movies available there is so diverse. These Disney Plus movies will make you laugh and cry and leave you eager for a rewatch. Here's a look at the best movies on Disney Plus.

Read more
The best shows and movies to watch on Apple TV Plus in April
Apple TV+ has an impressive library that includes great movies and shows
Austin Butler in Masters of the Air.

When computer company Apple announced that it was getting into the streaming TV game, there were plenty of people who were skeptical about the company's ability to pull it off. Why would the tech giant, which is most known for the Macintosh and the iPhone, have any credibility in making television shows? It doesn't seem the two ideas would mesh in any meaningful way, but in the years since Apple TV Plus launched, the company has come up with some pretty impressive original shows, and it picked up a Best Picture Oscar on top of that.
What's even more impressive is that these Apple TV shows and movies run the gamut from comedy to drama, and are all set in wildly different and imaginative places. Apple may be best known for making great phones, but it turns out it knows how to tell pretty interesting stories, too. These Apple TV movies and shows are the cream of the crop and the best on this streaming service.
If you're looking for more great stuff to stream, you should also check out our lists of the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, and the best shows on Disney Plus.

Masters of the Air (2024)

Read more