ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Disney is combining the Hulu app and the Disney+ app subsequent yr.
- Most Hulu content material is offered on Disney+ already, however not all – you continue to want the Hulu app for now.
- You will nonetheless have the ability to subscribe to Hulu and Disney+ as standalone providers.
Should you’re a Hulu consumer, you may doubtless be altering apps quickly.
Throughout in the present day’s quarterly earnings results announcement, CEO Bob Iger mentioned the corporate can be “absolutely integrating Hulu into Disney+,” which means the standalone Hulu app will disappear someday in 2026. Disney announced plans for a mixed Hulu and Disney+ app again in 2023, with plans to unify the 2 by “March of subsequent yr” (2024), however that hasn’t occurred but.
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Whereas most Hulu content material is already obtainable on the Disney+ app, some is barely obtainable within the Hulu app attributable to licensing restrictions. Moreover, content material from third-party add-ons like Max and Showtime can be solely obtainable by way of the Hulu app, so that you do nonetheless want the present Hulu app for now.
Hulu as a service is not going away. You will nonetheless have the ability to purchase a standalone Hulu subscription and a standalone Disney+ subscription, nevertheless it’s clear the corporate is pushing bundles. Disney mentioned the Hulu + Live TV service will technically be mixed with Fubo, however each providers will likely be marketed and offered individually.
In the identical name, Disney additionally introduced that it deliberate to cease reporting subscriber numbers (one thing Netflix has already accomplished). It should nonetheless announce when it reaches milestone numbers, however won’t present common updates.
Whereas switching from one app to a different may not appear to be an enormous deal, there are doubtless some hidden ramifications to this alteration. One, some customers get a free Hulu with advertisements because of their Spotify Premium subscription. Additionally, some customers get a Spotify low cost because of having a Hulu account — together with some who’ve been grandfathered in when Hulu was a free streaming service. It is not clear what’s going to occur to these bundles; I’ve reached out for an evidence.
A brand new sports-centric streaming service that features WWE
Disney additionally plans to launch a brand new standalone sports activities streaming service that is obtainable and not using a cable subscription. The ESPN streaming service will launch in August for $29.99 a month, or $35.99 a month in the event you bundle with Disney+ and Hulu.
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ESPN streaming will get you all content material from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, and ESPN+, plus stay content material like Monday Evening Soccer, Sunday Evening Baseball, and School Soccer Primetime. Any recreation that airs on ABC (Disney owns ABC) will likely be obtainable too — 47,000 stay occasions a yr in whole. Disney introduced in the present day that this service can even stream all WWE premium stay occasions of their entirety, together with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Collection, Cash within the Financial institution, and extra.
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