The Hulu application may not be long for this world

Hulu shows and films have been available to broadcast on Disney + for some time now, but Disney has announced today that it was finally planning to completely merge both into a single application.

Disney CEO Bob Iger, and financial director Hugh Johnston abandoned the news in the company’s third quarter report this morning.

In a press release, the two said that work was already underway to introduce new improvements in the Disney + application in the coming months, including a more personalized home page. They added that all this work would lead to a “Hulu unified Disney and Hulu streaming experience” next year.

“This will create an impressive entertainment set, combining the most calibrate brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news and sporting content from industry in a single application,” said Iger and Johnston.

On the business side, Disney bets that one application means more eyeballs, fewer cancellations and a greater salary of advertisers. Fusion of applications could also help Disney reduce operating costs.

Some media reported that Disney would also eliminate the Hulu application next year; However, autonomous subscriptions for each service will always be available. Disney + did not immediately respond to the request for comments from Gizmodo.

This decision comes just a few weeks after Disney bought Comcast’s remaining participation in Hulu. The service was launched in 2007 as a joint venture between News Corp and Nbcuniversal. Disney took control in 2019 when he acquired 21st Century Fox, then picked up the remaining actions of AT&T and Comcast.

In 2023, Disney began to broadcast Hulu series as The story of Handmaid, the bear, And Shōgun On the Disney +application, but only for users subscribed to the two platforms. To date, the Disney + and Hulu Bundle plan of the company is starting at $ 10.99 per month, just a dollar more than an autonomous Hulu subscription.

The news also comes while Disney prioritizes its streaming activity and tried to catch up with Netflix. Disney said that he had finished his third quarter with 183 million Disney + and Hulu subscriptions. Netflix, who has stopped regularly reporting his number of subscribers, said that at the end of last year, he had more than 300 million subscribers.

Disney also announced that its long Espn streaming service will finally be launched on August 21. The unlimited Sports Streamer plan will cost $ 29.99 per month and will include full access to the live television networks of ESPN and dissemination exclusives.

From 2026, the ESPN streamer will also be the exclusive American house for all WWE Premium Live events, including Wrestlemania, Royal Rumble and Summerslam.