Later this year, Hulu content will become available within Disney+ in the United States, as part of a one-app experience, for Hulu subscribers.  Disney plans to do a complete merger between the two platforms in the US at a later date, since Comcast still owns a 33% stake in Hulu, which Disney is legally allowed to force Comcast to purchase next year following a contract signed in 2019 following the purchase of 20th Century Fox.  Hulu will need to be independently valued, and Comcast’s stake will be valued at a minimum of just over $9 billion.  However, part of the contract indicated that Comcast’s stake could be reduced to 21%  (a minimum of $5.8 billion) if it hasn’t been funding its share of Hulu’s costs (which has been previously reported that they haven’t been).

Adding in the Hulu content into Disney+ in the United States, will bring the streaming service in line with how Disney+ operates in many countries, including Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, offering content from 20th Century Studios, FX, ABC and more.

In a recent report by Parrot Analytics for The Wrap, Netflix has slowly been using its global share in demand for original series, which takes into account consumer research, streaming, downloads and social media, among other engagements.  Over the years, other streaming has been offering more original content.

It’s also worth noting that many Hulu Originals are released internationally on Disney+, showcasing why a combined service in the United States will give Disney+ a huge boost of original content to compete with other platforms like Max, Paramount+ and Amazon.  And it’s also worth noting that Paramount+ and HBO Max aren’t available in all countries, unlike Prime Video and Netflix.

And while Netflix is the biggest streaming platform in the United States, with many of the streaming services starting to merge together, such as HBO Max with Discovery+ and Paramount+ with Showtime.  They’ve been able to increase their catalogue size and increase their market share with Max overtaking Hulu as the second biggest platform in the US, with its boost in Discovery+ content.

And once Disney+ and Hulu start offering a combined service, it’s likely Disney+ will drastically increase how much content is available, with the total on-platform share of the combined service accounting for nearly a quarter of all content demand among U.S. consumers, though not all Hulu content is going to be available within Disney+ due to licensing issues.

While Netflix is likely to still remain the biggest streaming service for a while, Max and Disney+ will both be giving it a run for its money, with consolation between the platforms reducing competition and increasing the selection of films and shows available to subscribers.

There are many other advantages for Disney+ and Hulu to combine, including reduced costs for marketing, development and running costs, plus internationally, it’s already been proven that having more general entertainment available within Disney+, has drastically increased engagement from users and reduced churn of people unsubscribing, since there is so much content available.

Do you think Hulu and Disney+ combined will give Netflix more competition?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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