{"id":159522,"date":"2023-05-16T11:15:43","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T11:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culture.org\/?p=159522"},"modified":"2023-05-16T11:17:03","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T11:17:03","slug":"disney-announces-streaming-service-overhaul-disney-and-hulu-content-to-merge-in-a-single-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.org\/archive\/disney-announces-streaming-service-overhaul-disney-and-hulu-content-to-merge-in-a-single-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney Announces Streaming Service Overhaul: Disney+ and Hulu Content to Merge in a Single App"},"content":{"rendered":" \r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n
<\/p>\n
In a bid to streamline the digital entertainment landscape, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced plans to combine content from Disney+ and Hulu into one app for the US market by the end of 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n The move aims to unify the streaming experience and provide greater opportunities for advertisers, while also enhancing consumer convenience for those subscribed to both services.<\/span><\/p>\n This strategic decision represents a significant development in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) space.<\/span><\/p>\n The proposed app will integrate content from Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, eliminating the need for multiple subscriptions and separate logins.<\/span><\/p>\n However, the standalone subscription options for these platforms will continue to exist, offering flexibility to the consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n The SVOD and live TV package from Hulu has seen an increase in average monthly revenue per paid subscriber from $87.90 a year ago to $92.32.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\r\n\r\n Despite Disney\u2019s majority ownership of Hulu, the future of Comcast’s stake in the company is yet to be determined.<\/span><\/p>\n The telecommunications giant currently owns a third of Hulu, but has the option to compel Disney to purchase its stake from January 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n Similarly, Disney holds a buy option to force Comcast to sell its stake.<\/span><\/p>\n The potential full acquisition of Hulu by Disney will further shape the future of the unified streaming platform.<\/span><\/p>\n This announcement reflects a change in Disney’s earlier stance towards Hulu, with previous signals suggesting a willingness to part with the general entertainment platform.<\/span><\/p>\n The shift comes after a comprehensive analysis of the business potential and the realization of the benefits of combining Disney’s family-friendly content with Hulu’s more adult-oriented offerings.<\/span><\/p>\n Hulu\u2019s subscription video on demand (SVOD) platform has been generating more revenue per user than any other Disney streaming service, despite a decline in segment results in the first quarter.<\/span><\/p>\n The consolidation of content could bolster advertising potential, with Iger expressing excitement over the prospects of the combined platform.<\/span><\/p>\n Disney also plans to increase prices on its ad-free tier later this year, a move seen as a reflection of the value of the company’s content offerings.<\/span><\/p>\n The SVOD and live TV package from Hulu has seen an increase in average monthly revenue per paid subscriber from $87.90 a year ago to $92.32.<\/span><\/p>\n However, the subscriber count for Hulu has remained flat year-over-year, with numbers standing at 48.2 million in the three months ended April 1, a slight increase from the 48 million a year ago. In comparison, Disney+\u2019s domestic subscriber numbers stood at 46.3 million.<\/span><\/p>\n While the announcement has created a buzz, the company has yet to reveal the pricing details for the forthcoming consolidated app.<\/span><\/p>\n As of now, a Disney+ and Hulu bundle with ads costs $9.99 per month, while an ad-tier Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu bundle is $12.99\/month.<\/span><\/p>\n A bundle including all three wherein Disney+ and Hulu are ad-free comes at $19.99 monthly.<\/span><\/p>\n Outside the U.S., Hulu shows and movies are only viewable through Disney+. For example, in the United Kingdom, Hulu isn\u2019t available as a separate app and a subset of the brand\u2019s offerings can be found in the Star tab within the Disney+ interface.<\/span><\/p>\n The new unified app is anticipated to enhance the global reach of Disney’s diverse content, strengthening its position in the international streaming market.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":159524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159522"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}A Step Toward Unified Streaming<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Anticipating the Future of Hulu<\/b><\/h2>\n
Financial Implications and Advertiser Opportunities<\/b><\/h2>\n
Pricing and International Expansion<\/b><\/h2>\n