Disney CEO Bob Iger is moving full speed ahead with his plan to fold Hulu into Disney+. Starting in 2026, the standalone Hulu app disappears, replaced by a single “unified” Disney+ experience that blends Hulu’s library with Disney’s blockbuster brands, ESPN sports, and more.
What’s Happening & Why This Matters
Disney+: One Portal to Rule Them All
This consolidation has been years in the making. Disney gained full control of Hulu in 2025 after buying out Comcast’s NBCUniversal stake — netting a multibillion-dollar tax benefit in the process. Since then, Iger’s strategy has been clear: build one dominant streaming hub and tether users directly to the Disney ecosystem.
Disney will discontinue the Hulu app in 2026, replacing it with a new unified Disney+ app. Subscribers can still choose to pay for Hulu-only, Disney+-only, or ESPN+-only packages, but all content streams through Disney+.
The contraction echoes Disney’s 2023 test run, where Hulu subscribers could already watch content inside Disney+. “When we gave people a more seamless experience between Disney+ and Hulu, we saw engagement increasing,” Iger told investors. He expects full integration to drive those numbers even higher.
Pricing and Bundles
While current bundles — like the $10.99 ad-supported Hulu-Disney+ combo — will remain for now, industry insiders expect pricing changes. Disney is known for hiking rates after major content additions. This makes sense to align both services around one ad server, improving ad targeting and boosting revenue opportunities.
Live TV and Sports Strategy
The integration doesn’t stop at on-demand shows. Disney plans to merge Hulu With Live TV into Fubo, the live sports streamer it now controls. Fubo will absorb Hulu’s cable bundle branding and rights by next year, becoming the company’s testing ground for sports-driven growth.
Meanwhile, ESPN is getting a major overhaul as well. Disney struck a deal with the NFL for a 10% stake in ESPN, along with exclusive rights to RedZone, the NFL Network, and official fantasy football operations. ESPN’s new streaming app launches at $29.99/mo., with bundles pairing it with Disney+ for the same price.
The Streaming Power Game
Disney is no longer chasing raw subscriber numbers. Like Netflix and Apple, it will stop reporting them starting in fiscal 2026. Its focus is profitability. The company is also playing a brand-synergy game — Hulu’s identity is being erased, much like Prime Video’s absorption of Freevee.
Analysts see consolidation & contraction as part of a greater market trend. Streamers are hoarding their most valuable content, cutting cross-platform sharing, and locking users deeper into branded ecosystems. It’s the end of the “free-for-all” days when Netflix streamed shows from rival studios, and live sports rights were split across networks.
Iger summed it up bluntly: “We’re not in the linear business and the streaming business. We’re in the television business.”
TF Summary: What’s Next
Disney is betting that one super-app will keep users hooked, advertisers happy, and profits climbing. The Hulu name may linger on as a subscription option, but the app itself will vanish — its content absorbed into Disney+.
In the near term, TF predicts higher engagement, aggressive bundling, and possible price hikes. Long term, this consolidation sets up Disney to compete more directly with Netflix, not by matching its scale, but by locking audiences into a Disney-branded streaming world where sports, films, and TV live under one roof.
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