Disney starts early rollout of Hulu on Disney+
Disney has started showing Hulu content on its Disney+ streaming platform, making the beta version of Hulu on Disney+ available to certain U.S. customers.
The beta version’s debut, which happened Wednesday, comes about a month after the entertainment giant and CEO Bob Iger indicated the combined experience was in the pipeline. Bundle subscribers have access to it, Disney said.
The company sells various bundles of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, some with and without ads.
The ad-supported bundle of Disney+ and Hulu, for example, comes with a $9.99 per month price tag. For the ad-free Duo Premium one, it costs $19.99 a month.
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The Hulu on Disney+ beta will "give parents time to set up controls that make sure everyone in their household is watching what’s appropriate for them," as well as give Disney consumer insights pertaining to the feature before releasing it wider, the company said.
Disney has set its sights on March for officially rolling out Hulu on Disney+.
Hulu on Disney+ has a tile on the main page of the Disney+ streaming service for those with access to it. Once inside the accompanying in-app hub, users "will have access to extensive Hulu content," the entertainment giant said. That will not include Hulu + Live TV content.
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While using Hulu on Disney+, whether a user sees ads will depend on if their Hulu subscription is ad-supported or ad-free, the company said on the Disney+ website.
Disney said it will keep operating the individual streaming services.
"One of the things that Hulu on Disney+ is going to achieve is it’s going to increase engagement, which reduces churn," Joe Earley, Disney entertainment president of direct-to-consumer, said in a statement.
In early November, Disney said global subscribers to Disney+, excluding Hotstar, totaled 112.6 million at the end of the third quarter. Hulu, meanwhile, posted 48.5 million.
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The company "continue[s] to expect to reach profitability at our combined streaming business," which also includes ESPN+ in fiscal 2024’s final quarter, Iger said at the time.