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Disney+ will soon be the app you use to access Hulu's movies and TV shows. Disney confirmed in its latest earnings report that it plans to phase out the standalone Hulu app and bring all of its content together in one service.
The streaming app will be discontinued in 2026 alongside the launch of a new unified app. However, you'll still have the option to subscribe to only Hulu or Disney+ (and ESPN+).
Presumably, Disney—which loves a price hike—won't let you watch content from both services for the same price as the standalone service. Currently, an ad-supported Hulu-Disney+ bundle starts at $10.99 per month.
"This will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the highest-caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news, and industry-leading live sports content in a single app," Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said in a statement. (A revamped ESPN sports streaming service also launches on Aug. 21.)
The news shouldn't be too surprising. Disney first announced plans to combine Hulu and Disney+ into a single streaming app in 2023. Last year, it then allowed Hulu subscribers to watch inside the Disney+ app.
On this week's earnings call, Iger said, "When we gave people an opportunity to have a more seamless experience between Disney+ and Hulu, we saw engagement increasing." Ideally, with full integration, "that engagement will go up even more," he added.
And, of course, it will help Disney make more money. "This is a logical progress of our DTC [direct-to-consumer] offerings that will provide greater opportunities for advertisers while giving bundle subscribers access to more robust and streamlined content," Iger said.
Disney will stop reporting subscriber numbers, beginning with fiscal year of 2026. Similar to Apple and Netflix, it will instead focus on streaming profits.