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Disney to retire Hulu app in 2026, fully merge service into Disney+
Disney also expects to unlock additional advertising opportunities by selling ads for the combined service, building on its existing cross-platform sales.
Starting in autumn 2025, Hulu will replace the Star brand on Disney+ in international markets.
Disney has confirmed that Hulu will be phased out as a stand-alone app in 2026, with the streaming service — now wholly owned by the entertainment giant — fully integrated into Disney+. The move marks one of the company’s most significant streaming strategy shifts since acquiring complete control of Hulu.
Starting in autumn 2025, Hulu will replace the Star brand on Disney+ in international markets. A unified Disney+ and Hulu app will officially launch in 2026, though customers will still be able to purchase each service as an individual subscription.
“Today we are announcing a major step forward in strengthening our streaming offering by fully integrating Hulu into Disney+,” Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said in the company’s quarterly earnings commentary. They described the merged app as a “comprehensive entertainment package” combining Disney’s family programming and franchises with Hulu’s general entertainment, news, and live sports.
Iger told investors the integration would enhance the user experience, reduce subscriber churn, and create operational efficiencies by bringing both services onto a single technology platform. Disney also expects to unlock additional advertising opportunities by selling ads for the combined service, building on its existing cross-platform sales.
Hulu’s live TV offering will also undergo a major change, with plans to merge it into a joint venture with Fubo, majority-owned by Disney. While Hulu + Live TV and Fubo will continue to be marketed separately in the near term, Hulu + Live TV will be integrated into Disney+ in 2026.
The process of unifying the two platforms has been in motion since spring 2024, when Disney+ began offering full Hulu content integration to encourage more bundled subscriptions.
In a separate announcement, Disney said it will no longer disclose individual subscriber counts for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, following a trend set by Netflix. The company also revealed that its long-awaited stand-alone ESPN streaming service will debut on August 21, priced at $29.99 per month.
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