The Hulu app’s demise is actually a good thing

It was announced in 2019 that Disney was acquiring majority control of Hulu after it acquired 21st Century Fox. After that happened, Disney offered bundles of its services together (along with ESPN or HBO Max) to give consumers a main stop for a lot of their streaming needs. In June of this year, Disney completed the acquisition of Hulu from Comcast, allowing the conglomerate full use of Hulu’s name and catalog.

During its earnings announcement this week, Disney made a number of big changes, including announcing the debut of its new ESPN streaming service and its acquisition of NFL Network. Another notable highlight from the earnings call was that Hulu’s native app would be put to pasture by 2026. This means that all of Hulu’s content will be folded into the Disney+ app and that users won’t have to juggle two subscriptions.

This may seem like Disney is putting an end to Hulu. But that’s far from the truth. This is actually the best thing that could happen to Hulu to have its content become more appreciated. This is something that has been rumored since the 2019 acquisition, but seven years of changes since confirm that Hulu is moving in the right direction.

Hulu Originals will shine more now

You’ll pay more attention to Hulu shows

Hulu

Hulu is currently an app that features Live TV (if you pay for it), a large list of movies, and a large list of streaming shows on demand, such as ones that air on ABC or FOX and can be streamed on the app. If you want to watch Abbott Elementary or Family Guy, but don’t have a cable subscription, Hulu and HBO Max are where you can watch them. Hulu also features FX on Hulu series and is the premiere place where FX shows air along with FX on Hulu series, which are series that are from FX but first air on streaming (it’s hard to keep track of all this, right?)

The most well-known Hulu Original series is The Bear, the Emmy Award-winning smash hit by Christopher Storer that many people are likely to subscribe to Hulu strictly for. But it isn’t the only Hulu Original by any means and Hulu also has original films that are lesser known. Hulu has become a bit of a landing ground for smaller horror films and TV series. Some Hulu Originals and FX on Hulu series have made bigger splashes like The Handmaid’s Tale, Paradise, Shogun, American Horror Stories, The Dropout, and Only Murders in the Building. But plenty of others don’t get as much promotion or much hype ahead of their releases. Examples include The Binge, Run, Plan B, Rosaline, The Drop, Reasonable Doubt, Deli Boys, and Mid-Century Modern.

That could change now that Hulu is folding into Disney+. The dedicated portion of the app that is now going to be Hulu’s and Hulu’s alone, meaning it won’t be littered with streaming on-demand content anymore. You don’t have to go to Hulu just to watch American Idol anymore. You’re going to go there for Hulu shows and movies, boosting the profile of everything the originals have to offer. Producers and those making Hulu series and movies that are yet to come should be excited that their productions are going to have more promotion than they might have just being stashed on Hulu’s app.

Hulu will have more accessibility

Disney+ is paid for by a lot more people

During the first quarter of 2025, Disney reported that Hulu had 53.6M paying subscribers, which had gradually increased from 2024. Since Hulu was purchased by Disney, its subscriber numbers have risen, thanks in large part to the bundle options available with Disney+. In comparison to that, Disney+’s first-quarter subscription numbers this year more than doubled that of Hulu’s, coming in at 124.6M subscribers.

This isn’t a small note that should be overlooked. The casual viewer may have guessed that Disney+ had more subscribers, but the reality of it is that Hulu’s content will be put in front of an audience much larger than it ever has been before. This is only set to grow the consumption of Hulu’s entertainment, providing a bigger profile for all of its shows and movies. The casual person flicking through Disney+ now has the option to look through even more content. Right now, if you have Disney+, you don’t automatically have access to the full Hulu library. That changes in 2026 and Hulu will benefit.

Some people now have more of a reason to get Disney+

They were separated for a while

Hulu

As shown by the stats, there are people that love Hulu and its content. While there is no doubt overlap between the more than 130M subscribers to Disney+ and over 50M subscribers to Hulu, there are plenty of people who have just had the standalone Hulu app. Some of those people may drop off and not get a Disney+ subscription now that the Hulu app is going away. But plenty will get a Disney+ subscription strictly to watch Hulu.

Disney+ has done a good job of separating itself from its initial content that was strictly Disney and Pixar movies and series. It has added universes like Marvel and Star Wars as well as National Geographic to broaden its reach among viewers. Now, it adds another as Hulu’s content has been geared mostly towards adults. This gives adults another reason to look at Disney+ as an option for streaming and to continue to watch their favorite Hulu and FX shows on demand. Hulu’s prowess in the industry will benefit more from the complete immersion with Disney+ than if it had stayed on its own.