The Walt Disney Company’s two biggest streaming services have joined forces for select customers as the company releases a beta version of Disney+ that includes Hulu content.
Beginning December 6, the vast majority of Hulu’s content will be available on Disney+ in the U.S. for subscribers who pay for both services. According to Variety, this is part of the company’s phase one of the Disney+/Hulu integration plan, which was first revealed by Disney CEO Bob Iger earlier this year.
Reportedly, the initial “beta” of Hulu on Disney+ will be followed by the launch of a more integrated version in March 2024. The goal of this move to combine the two streaming services is that by having both Disney and Hulu programming side-by-side on the same platform, customers will spend more time watching content, which is said to cut churn and customer-acquisition costs.
It’s worth mentioning that even if your Disney+ subscription now has Hulu content, it is recommended that you do not delete your Hulu app just yet. Certain licensing-rights restrictions will keep some Hulu titles off of Disney+. This is said to apply to both the beta now and at the time of the full launch in March.
Some of these items that are exclusive to Hulu for the time being include ABC’s sitcom “Modern Family” and ITV’s reality dating show “Love Island.” Additionally, Disney+ will not provide access to the linear channels in the Hulu + Live TV virtual pay-TV package.
Another issue subscribers might face with this change is due to having the ability to start content on Disney+ and then finish on Hulu. To put it simply, you might lose your spot on the last show you watched as the separate streaming services will not be able to communicate back and forth to hold points of shows or movies you might have left off of. So if you begin watching a show on one service and then finish on the other you might come into some continuity problems.
What are your thoughts of Disney+ bundling Hulu into one app? Are you excited for this coming change? Let us know in the comments!
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