Hulu will officially be phased out as a stand alone app in 2026, with Disney confirming plans to fully integrate the streaming service into its flagship Disney Plus platform. The move follows Disney’s complete acquisition of Hulu and marks a major shift in its streaming strategy.
Beginning in autumn 2025, Hulu will replace the Star brand on Disney Plus for international markets. The company announced that a unified Disney Plus and Hulu app will launch in 2026, although customers will still be able to purchase a separate Hulu subscription as well as a stand alone Disney Plus plan.
“Today we are announcing a major step forward in strengthening our streaming offering by fully integrating Hulu into Disney Plus,” said CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston in prepared remarks during the company’s quarterly earnings. “This will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the highest calibre brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news and industry leading live sports content in a single app.”
Iger told investors the combined platform would provide an improved consumer experience and reduce subscriber churn. Both services will operate on one technology platform, which he said would create cost efficiencies. Disney also expects to unlock new opportunities for bundled advertising sales by merging the two.
Hulu’s live TV business will be merged with Fubo under a planned joint venture majority owned by Disney. For now, Hulu plus Live TV and Fubo will be marketed separately, but Hulu plus Live TV will be integrated into Disney Plus in 2026.
The integration process began in spring 2024, when Disney Plus introduced full Hulu content access within its app, aiming to encourage Disney Plus subscribers to upgrade to bundled plans.
In addition, Disney announced it will stop reporting subscriber numbers for Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus, following the approach of other major streaming services. The company also confirmed that its stand alone ESPN streaming service will launch on August 21, priced at 29.99 dollars per month.
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