Disney has announced plans to fully merge Hulu with Disney+ in 2026. This integration will turn the two services into one unified app. CEO Bob Iger revealed the news during Disney’s Q3 2025 earnings call, describing the move as a “major step forward” for its streaming strategy.

“Today we are announcing a major step forward in strengthening our streaming offering by fully integrating Hulu into Disney+,” Iger said.

The new app will include all of Hulu’s content alongside Disney+ originals, as well as Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and ESPN programming. According to Iger, combining both services will offer “a far better consumer experience” and help Disney tackle churn, a growing concern across the streaming industry.

This update follows Disney’s recent $9 billion deal to acquire Comcast’s remaining stake in Hulu. Comcast had initially sought closer to $14 billion. With full ownership, Disney can now reshape Hulu’s future without external negotiations.

Standalone Hulu isn’t going away — at least for now

While Disney is rolling everything into one platform, it’s not phasing out standalone Hulu for now. Consumers will still be able to subscribe to Hulu separately. However, Iger didn’t say whether the Hulu app itself will eventually be shut down.

Hulu currently exists as a solo brand, but its future as a standalone app looks uncertain. In 2024, Disney+ introduced a Hulu tile that gave joint subscribers access to some of Hulu’s content directly within the Disney+ app. However, next year’s rollout will be a full integration, with one experience and all programming assets from both services available in the same place.

Why Disney is integrating Hulu with Disney+

Iger says this decision is about user experience and retention. According to him, “When we gave people an opportunity to have a more seamless experience between Disney+ and Hulu, we saw engagement increasing.” “And we would hope that when we take this next step, which is basically full integration, that that engagement will go up even more,” Iger added.

As part of the app refresh, Disney plans to introduce a more personalized homepage. The company also plans to expand Hulu to other markets.

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