Standalone Hulu is dead, long live 'Hulu on Disney+'
Hulu's standalone app's days are numbered. The long-time streaming service is getting completely absorbed, globally, into Disney+ -- with a price hike.
Disney+ and Hulu logos
On Thursday, Disney confirmed that Hulu was going to become a global brand, becoming part of the Disney Plus app experience. Starting on October 8, a rebranding exercise will start to roll out across regions serviced by Disney Plus, making Hulu appear in more international territories.
In international regions, Hulu will be replacing Star, a general adult-oriented brand that offered a library beyond the typical Disney-created content. In effect, the Hulu insertion will be a rebrand in those countries, and remain part of the overall Disney+ subscription package.
Disney's notice on the change says that the migration is preparing for a "fully integrated unified app experience" arriving in 2026. This is an initiative initially outlined in August, with the ultimate aim of fully integrating Hulu into Disney+ as a unified app.
At the time, during Disney's quarterly earnings call, outgoing Disney CEO Bob Iger insisted that the integration will deliver a better consumer experience. As both services will be on one tech platform, Iger added that there would be cost synergies and potential for ad sales bundling.
Existing Hulu users can expect to see a gradual push to stop using the standalone Hulu app in favor of Disney Plus, before the eventual standalone app's mothballing sometime in 2026.
App improvements
As part of the same announcement, Disney confirmed quite a few changes are on the way to the Disney Plus app.
The chief one is a new "For You" screen and tab on opening the app. This will provide recommended shows based on user preferences, determined by an updated algorithm.
Tabs will also be present for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN, depending on the user's subscription. A Live hub will show live news, sports, and events, as well as 24-7 streams.
Profiles will be more prominent in the interface, so users can more easily get recommendations based on their viewing habits. New badge tags will also be added for "Season Finale," "New Series," and "New Movie."
For mobile users, there are also other changes on the way over the next year. Widgets for iOS and iPadOS have also been promised.
Price Hikes
October's Hulu changes will also coincide with some pricing adjustments to multiple packages.
Disney's periodic price hikes will be applying on October 21, raising the cost for various plans by a few dollars, while leaving others unaffected. This does leave precious little time to grab a subscription before the prices go up.
The Disney, Hulu, and ESPN bundle plan changes include:
- Hulu and Disney+ with ads package rise from $10.99 per month to $12.99 per month.
- Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select, all with ads, will go from $16.99 to $19.99.
- Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select Premium, which loses ads on Disney+ and Hulu, will rise from $26.99 to $29.99 per month.
- Disney+ Premium, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Legacy will also increase from $21.99 to $24.99 per month.
Under Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundles:
- With Ads rises from $16.99 to $19.99 per month.
- No Ads rises from $29.99 to $32.99 per
month.
Hulu + Live TV plans will also change:
- Live TV Only from $81.99 per month to $88.99 per month.
- Hulu + Live TV, Disney Premium, and ESPN Select will go from $87.99 per month to $94.99 per month.
- Hulu Premium + Live TV, Disney+ Premium, and ESPN Select will rise from $95 per month to $99.99 per month.
- Hulu + Live TV, Disney+, and ESPN Select will go from $82.99 to $89.99 per month.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
What does that mean? Guam (a US territory) or Canada (a country)?