Disney is planning to totally combine Hulu with Disney Plus, making a “unified” app expertise that can launch subsequent yr, the corporate introduced as a part of its earnings results on Wednesday. The brand new app will put all of Hulu’s content material into Disney Plus, calling the way forward for Hulu’s standalone app into query.
With Disney’s deal to buy all of Hulu from Comcast now complete, the leisure big has extra freedom to make modifications to the service. Disney added a Hulu tile to its Disney Plus app final yr, however this solely serves as a gateway to select content, even for Hulu subscribers. Now that’s set to vary, as Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed throughout an earnings name on Wednesday that the unified app will mix “the entire program property” of each companies.
However Iger didn’t say what is going to develop into of Hulu as a standalone app because of the combination. When requested in regards to the app’s future in the course of the name, Iger dodged the query. “I feel the way in which to have a look at the mixture is to start out with the patron,” Iger stated. “You’re going to finish up with a much better shopper expertise when these apps are mixed.”
The brand new app may also characteristic a extra “customized” homepage, in keeping with Iger. Along with this announcement, Disney revealed that it’s launching its standalone ESPN streaming service on August twenty first for $29.99, which subscribers will be capable of bundle with Disney Plus and Hulu. Disney has spent years pushing its bundled plans, and a completely built-in Hulu app might pull much more individuals into subscribing to a couple of of its companies.
A Disney spokesperson told Variety that customers will nonetheless be capable of buy a person subscription to Hulu and Disney Plus following the launch of a unified app. It nonetheless stays unclear whether or not subscribers will be capable of entry Hulu + Dwell TV throughout the standalone Hulu app, or if that might be absorbed into Disney Plus, too. The Verge reached out to Disney with a request for extra data however didn’t instantly hear again.