The streaming wars make for strange bedfellows. We all know that Disney has a streaming app in Disney+, where you can see such popular programs as The Mandalorian, WandaVision, and Jeremy Renner’s vehicular makeover show Rennervations. But not everyone may realize that Disney also owns a majority stake in Hulu, the streaming service that offers original series like The Handmaid’s Tale and Only Murders in the Building, and hosts FX programming like Atlanta and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Disney doesn’t own Hulu outright; Comcast retains a hefty share. However, come January of 2024, Disney will have the opportunity to buy out that share, and it’s looking increasingly likely that will happen.
Why? Because The A.V. Club reports that Disney is working on a joint Disney+/Hulu app. There’s no name for the joint app yet (Hulu+? Disneylu?), but it’s supposed to roll out by the end of this year.
New joint Disney+/Hulu app due out by the end of 2023
Importantly, this doesn’t mean that Disney is getting rid of Disney+ and Hulu in favor of this new thing. Both Disney+ and Hulu will still be around, but you’ll soon also be able to get Hulu+. This is different from what Warner Bros. Discovery is doing; soon enough, they’ll debut Max, a new streaming service that mashes together HBO Max and Discovery+. Afterward, HBO Max will no longer be available on its own, though Discovery+ will carry on for whatever reason.
There’s also no information on price for Disneylu, but I imagine it’ll be more expensive than subscribing to either of the individual services by themselves, but not as expensive as if you subscribed to both separately. More details as they come!
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