The US-based streaming service Hulu – home of shows like Shōgun and the upcoming Alien: Earth – is set to undergo some big changes in the coming months. It was announced today that the service will be fully integrated into a new "unified" Disney Plus app, with the standalone Hulu app to be phased out in 2026.
"Today we are announcing a major step forward in strengthening our streaming offering by fully integrating Hulu into Disney Plus," Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said in a joint statement. "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."
Internationally, Hulu will replace the Star tile of the Disney Plus app, which currently offers movies and shows from Disney-owned brands including ABC, FX, and 20th Century Studios.
The reason for the change, according to the Disney execs, is to offer subscribers "tremendous choice, convenience, quality, and enhanced personalization." This, they believe, will also enhance the service's profitability while reducing churn – the number of subscribers who cancel their subscriptions after watching the shows and movies they initially signed up to see.
The move is not entirely unexpected and follows two years of negotiating, with Disney buying NBCUniversal's 33% stake in Hulu back in June of this year, reportedly paying owners Comcast around $9 billion for their share in the streamer. Disney had previously begun the process of integrating Hulu's content into the Disney Plus service back in 2024, when it started offering bundled Disney Plus/Hulu subscriptions.
Hulu is one of the best streaming services. For more, check out our lists of the best Hulu shows and the best Hulu movies.
