The major update in the long-time speculation about Disney wanting to take control over Hulu could mean one big change to Disney+. The future of the streaming world is still under debate, with the current ones trying to lure most viewers and offer the best content available. Disney+ keeps adding new shows and movies and is one of the dominating platforms at the moment, and the new move to fully acquire Hulu would set it further apart, meaning that one big change between Disney+ and Hulu is inevitable.
For the longest time, the top streaming platform was Netflix, which held titles from different studios, all available for a moderately priced subscription. It then launched its own production company and started offering Netflix Original content; other studios followed suit. Warner Bros joined forces with HBO for HBO Max, which later became Max after its merge with Discovery+; Disney started its own platform, Disney+, with other strong options like Hulu, Peacock, and Apple TV+. However, the new major Hulu update could create a big shift in the streaming world.
Disney’s Ownership Of Hulu Explained
Disney Has Been Planning It For Years
Disney’s ownership of Hulu has been in the works for a few years. Hulu officially launched in 2008, as the result of multiple joint ventures, with The Walt Disney Company joining in 2009. In 2019, Disney gained another 30% ownership stake in Hulu after acquiring 21st Century Fox for a majority of 60%. After WarnerMedia sold 10% of its shares, Disney, holding 67% stakes of the company, reached an agreement with Comcast (which owns NBCUniversal), with the latter promising Disney that it would sell its 33% ownership stake within five years, giving Disney even more power. Now Disney is to take full control of Hulu for the price of $8.61 billion dollars.
As Disney received majority stakes in Hulu, changes started happening regarding its content and strategy. Disney has been building a portfolio of streaming services, including Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu, and could divide its content among them. Even prior to the major update of Hulu having only one owner in the future, Disney used the streaming service to produce and distribute original content on the platform, and that could only lead to one inevitable change.
Why It’s Likely Hulu & Disney+ Will Merge In The Near Future
The Move Seems Inevitable
The plans for a Hulu and Disney+ merger have been a conversation going on for a while, and that is very likely to happen in the near future. At the moment, Hulu counts with roughly 48 million subscribers, and it offers productions from ABC, FX, Fox, and others, including original Hulu shows like The Handmaid’s Tale, The Bear, Only Murders in the Building, or reality shows like The Kardashians. Meanwhile, Disney+, which also operates overseas, also with its own portfolio of original content, from Star Wars to Marvel Cinematic Universe original shows, and it counts with around 150 million as of 2023. However, one big change is inevitable: merging.
Disney has been planning on creating one app that would combine the content from Disney+ and Hulu by the end of the calendar year, with Hulu still functioning as a separate service. Now that Disney has full ownership of Hulu, that could mean changes in subscriptions and prices, and combining it with Disney+ would be the logical and inevitable choice.
