In its continual attempt to unify the Disney+ and Hulu experiences, Disney has confirmed that the Hulu app will disappear. The discontinuation of the Hulu app will begin next year, with the content being absorbed by the Disney+ app.
A good portion of the Hulu catalog is already available through the Disney+ app so this may not come as too much of a change for some users. For others, however, the change will result in them having to move to the new unified app and experience.
“Today we are announcing a major step forward in strengthening our streaming offering by fully integrating Hulu into Disney+. This will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the highest-caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news, and industry-leading live sports content in a single app,” Disney said in a prepared statement.
While this could be seen as a devaluing of the individual Hulu brand, that doesn’t appear to be the case, and certainly not on the global stage. As part of the same unified experience, Hulu branding will eventually replace Star branding in the Disney+ app in international markets.
In this sense, Hulu will become a far more visible brand globally, with Hulu gaining its own tile in the Disney+ app in markets where a Star title is currently used.
The goal also seems to be to improve the overall app experience as well, with various improvements expected to roll out to the app throughout this year and next.
“Work is already underway to continue enhancing our technology, and over the coming months, we will be implementing numerous improvements within the Disney+ app, including exciting new features and a more personalized homepage. All of this work will culminate with the unified Disney+ and Hulu streaming app experience that will be available to consumers next year,” the statement said.
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