With Disney+ becoming a massive global success since it launched in November 2019, there has been much speculation on what where Disney would take its new streaming service in the future and just as importantly, what would Disney do with its other streaming service Hulu.

Back in August in an investors call, it was revealed that Disney wouldn’t be launching Hulu internationally and would instead be rolling out “Star”, which would be built upon Disney+ technology, along with featuring brands such as ABC, FX and Searchlight.  It would hold all of Disney’s general entertainment, that wouldn’t fit under the Disney branding.

One major reason for this was that Comcast still owns 33% of Hulu and therefore if Disney built it up internationally, they’d owe more to Comcast in 2024, when Disney has to have completed its purchase from Comcast.  So launching “Star” internationally makes more sense, rather than calling it Hulu.

Over the past few months, there have been many rumours of Disney adding more mature content onto Disney+, and according to a recent article by Collider, they’ve heard that Hulu could be folded into Disney+.   This would also create a juggernaut of a streaming service which could rival Netflix, Peacock and HBO Max with a vast amount of varied content.

Recently there has been lots of reshuffling within the Walt Disney Companies internal structure, with layoffs and merging departments.

According to Collider, multiple Hulu executives have been leaving or let go in anticipation of the move.

The addition of “Star” and “Hulu” into Disney+ would make the streaming service much more competitive.  This could be done in several ways, such as offering a tiered system within Disney+, which would seem more logical, since many other streaming services offer this, including Disney+ Hotstar in India and Comcast’s Peacock.

While some might say that Disney wouldn’t put brands such as Die Hard, Aliens and FX shows under the Disney banner, streaming has completely changed how media companies operate, and as long as there are parental controls available, one big streaming platform would be easier to promote to everyone.

However, there are many issues with incorporating Hulu into Disney+, the third-party content deals, live TV and Comcast still owning part of Hulu, will have to be fixed.

Disney is set to reveal its streaming strategy in a four hour Investors Day event on December 10th, where it will lay out its future for its direct to consumer business.

Would you like to see Hulu and Disney+ merged?

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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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6 Comments

  1. Maddie December 5, 2020

    I hope they do get merged, as I don't have Hulu. But I do have Disney+. I imagine if they were merged, Hulu's shows/movies would go right onto Disney+.

    1. Aetas December 5, 2020

      You can get Disney+ as an ad on to Hulu already.

  2. Cosmin December 5, 2020

    If they don't merge, i would want to see shows of Hulu under the Star branding.

  3. Sam December 5, 2020

    I would LOVE them to be merged! I would also love for ESPN to also be merged into Disney Plus alongside Hulu and Star. But, if you decide to merge Hulu and Star (and hopefully ESPN as well) to Disney Plus, please do not make it a tier system in which we have to pay more per month to unlock more tiers. Please just keep all to the $9 (in Australia, will be different depending on the country) Disney Plus subscription price for ALL content on the streaming service: Disney Plus, Hulu, Star (and ESPN???). My point being, please do not make us pay more than the Disney Plus subscription price. And please do not enlarge the Disney Plus price either.

  4. Jason December 5, 2020

    "Comcast owns roughly a third of Hulu. Under the terms of the deal, Comcast will sell its interest to Disney for Hulu's fair market value no earlier than 2024." https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/14/media/disney-buys-comcast-hulu-ownership/index.html I'm not sure if this is possible, considering Comcast/NBC/Universal owns a portion of Hulu as it exists now. Although Disney is completely operating Hulu at this time, if Disney+ and Hulu merged prior to 2024, then Comcast would be a stakeholder in this new "merged" service. Disney is not going to allow that to happen. Insiders already report that there will be an adult section of the service which will be accessed via a PIN code, which will allow adults to view PG-13 and R-rated content. The content will include all of the films from Touchstone, FX, and Century Studios. After 2024, it will likely include all of the Hulu originals as well.

  5. Ann December 6, 2020

    I want them to merge for the anime. Please don’t judge me.