Recently, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed during a quarterly investors call that by the end of 2023, that they would offer a single one-app experience for their streaming bundle in the United States, with Hulu becoming available within Disney+.

Due to Comcast still owning one-third of Hulu, Disney isn’t in a position to fully merge the platforms together, and it can’t buy out Comcast’s stake until 2024 due to a contract made when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox’s 30% stake in the streamer.

One of the biggest issues that have faced Disney+ in the United States has been the lack of general entertainment content for older viewers.  Because of the existence of Hulu, Disney has been forced to keep its content separate, but the new offering of Hulu and Disney+ together in one app, is going to provide a huge catalogue of content.   Internationally, Disney+ has already had great success in offering general entertainment from studios like FX, 20th and ABC, but now, Disney+ subscribers in the US are going to get a taste of what this looks like.

Following the news of Hulu becoming available as an add-on to Disney+ in the US, streaming aggregator, Reelgood, has revealed some new data on what the new offering could deliver to subscribers.

The addition of Hulu within Disney+ will instantly boost the number of shows available, going from around 400 shows currently, to over 2000, which will certainly give a huge boost to viewing numbers.

While Disney+ has some of the biggest and most popular films available, adding Hulu’s library will double the number of movies available.  It will provide more mature content but also, just as important, a constant selection of films from other studios to offer more variety for viewers.

When combined, we can really see how Disney+ benefits from being merged with Hulu.  The collection is supercharged.  Internationally, this has already happened when the Star brand was added in 2021. But, Hulu also offers even more content from other studios like FOX and other acquired content, boosting it even more.

It’s also interesting to see how a single app experience will provide subscribers with access to a much larger selection of content from different genres.  Drama makes up almost half of the Hulu library, and bringing so many shows and films for adults and teenagers to Disney+, will boost an area that Disney hasn’t been able to fill.  It’s tried shows like “National Treasure”, “Big Shot” and “Willow” to fill that void, whereas Hulu has been providing successful drama series consistently for years.  Rather than making Disney+ Originals to fit an area it was lacking, a merged platform fixes this problem, while also providing major franchise hits from Marvel and Star Wars.

A combined Disney+ and Hulu library in the United States, will offer much more variety for subscribers, and making it a much more appealing platform to get new and keep existing subscribers.   While a full merger might be a while off, until Disney completes its purchase of Hulu, bringing Hulu into Disney+ as an add-on/bundled option, fixes the problem and gets people used to the idea that they are together.

What do you think of Disney+ and Hulu’s libraries joining together?  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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