It appears it was only a matter of time before Disney took full control of Hulu. Now it’s been revealed that Disney Plus and Hulu are set to merge into one app.
As shared by Variety, “Disney, which is in the home stretch of swinging the deal to become the full owner of Hulu, will launch a beta test of an app next month that combines Disney+ and Hulu into a single experience for subscribers of both services, CEO Bob Iger said.” Of course, this will only go into action once Disney completes its acquisition of Hulu.
Specifically, Disney will have to buy out NBCUniversal’s 33% stake in the popular streaming service. Though each parties’ bankers will have a more complete assessment based on Hulu’s market value, it’s been said that this stake will be worth at least $8.61 billion that Disney would have to pay Comcast.
Bob Iger shared the following statement previously during Disney’s earnings call for the September quarter:
“We remain on track to roll out a more unified one-app experience domestically, making extensive general entertainment content available to bundle subscribers via Disney+,” he shared.
Variety explained the following details for the upcoming Disney Plus and Hulu merge:
“A beta version of the Disney+/Hulu app will launch in December for subscribers of the two-service bundle — giving parents time to set up parental controls, according to Iger, who explained that Disney+ customers will be able to access adult-oriented Hulu content — ahead of the official launch in spring 2024 (around late March).”
There are certainly plenty of benefits for Disney to combine the two platforms. In fact, Iger listed certain benefits including increased engagement, greater ad revenue, and a reduction in customer-acquisition costs and lower churn.
It’s a move that will definitely shake the streaming industry which includes competitors like Netflix and Max. Especially because this also means that Disney could launch Hulu globally. Stay tuned as we have more details in the near future.