Disney+ Will Be Adding Hulu Content Later This Year

Disney+ will be adding content from Hulu to become a “one-app experience” later on in 2023.

Disney will be making Disney+ a “one-app experience” by adding Hulu content to the streaming platform. The CEO then explained that the movie is intended to be “leading to a more unified streaming experience.”

“While we will continue to offer Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ as standalone options, this is a logical progression of our [direct-to-consumer] offerings that will provide greater opportunities for advertisers while giving bundle subscribers access to more robust and streamlined content, resulting in greater audience engagement and ultimately leading to a more unified streaming experience,” Iger said in the call.

Why are Disney partnering with Hulu?

Disney+ Lost 4 Million Subscribers in Q1.

Most of the company performed well in the quarter, and Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer saw revenues grow 12 percent to $5.5 billion, while its operating loss decreased from $700 million to $200 million when compared to the year-ago quarter. Disney+ and ESPN+ both made gains while Hulu did not. The gains at Disney+ were attributed to higher subscription revenue (with subscriber growth and higher pricing) and a decrease in marketing costs. ESPN+ benefited from subscription revenue growth due to an increase in retail pricing and subscriber growth. And Hulu experienced higher programming and production costs and lower advertising revenue.

Disney+ finished the quarter with 157.8 million subscribers, down from 161.8 million in the previous quarter. ESPN+ grew its subscriber base by 2 percent to 25.3 million. And Hulu was flat with 48.2 million subscribers.

“The best path is to grow this business,” Iger said. “The content on Disney+ with general entertainment is a very strong combination from a subscriber acquisition and subscriber retention perspective, and for advertisers. So where we’re headed is a one-app experience that will have Disney+ and general entertainment content.”

When is Hulu content coming to Disney+?

The addition is set to arrive by the end of 2023, meaning audiences in the United States will be able to watch Hulu products on Disney+ before the year is out. Hulu’s original content includes popular recent series like Tiny Beautiful Things and Class of ’09, as well as recent original movies like Boston Strangler, Clock, and Quasi. In some regions, Hulu’s programming is already available on Disney+ under the Star banner.