First came love, then came the streamer-bundle marriage, then came the baby in a “one-app” carriage. Now, after a few years of buildup, the full “integration of Hulu into Disney+” is coming in 2026, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed during a company earnings call this morning. New tech changes, the company says, will give “subscribers a more seamless and personalized” Hulu on Disney+ experience. Hulu and Disney+ will continue to be offered as individual subscriptions.
There’s no timetable for shuttering the standalone Hulu app in the near future, and the company hasn’t confirmed whether it will — although it also seems to very clearly be leaving the door open to that happening, perhaps as early as next year. But the focus on the integrated experience reinforces its primary goal going forward: to prioritize the Disney+ app and invest technology resources into it, with brands like Hulu living on the platform.
And that’s not to suggest the Hulu brand is diminishing. Disney also confirmed Hulu will be replacing the Star tile on Disney+ internationally — a significant expansion for Hulu, which has only been offered domestically so far. The announcement that Disney+ and Hulu are “fully integrating” comes after Disney finally bought out Comcast and NBCUniversal’s one-third stake in Hulu in June, giving the Mouse full control of the streamer and closing out a deal in the works since 2023. With a hefty payout of $9 billion for Hulu, Iger seemed eager to tell investors about his plans to move Hulu and Disney+ all under one app’s roof.
Related
