Disney’s Plans to Sunset Hulu as a Standalone App Have Been Revealed
Last April, former Disney CEO Bob Iger finally made the announcement that many had been waiting for when he revealed that Hulu would be fully integrated into Disney+ to create a “one app” streaming service.
“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,” Iger explained.
Photo: Deadline
Ever since Disney made the fateful decision to buy out Comcast’s stake in Hulu, observers had posited that Disney would unify its streaming services under one umbrella.
Photo: Hulu
The goal of the integration was not only to create “an impressive package of entertainment,” as Iger put it, but also to reduce churn and improve Disney’s sales and technology capabilities.
The Plan in Motion
When Iger announced the integration of Hulu into Disney+, he also revealed that the streaming service would eventually sunset as a standalone app and subsequently be transformed into a global general entertainment brand, essentially replacing Star internationally.
Photo: Disney
Since Iger’s big announcement, Disney has taken numerous steps toward integrating Hulu and Disney+.
First, the Hulu library was transferred over. Then, Hulu premium live events began co-streaming on Disney+.
Photo: Getty Images/Ringer illustration
Finally, earlier this month, Disney announced that Hulu users could now link their profiles to Disney+, transferring over their watch history, watchlists, and recommendations.
Despite these strides, however, the Hulu standalone app has continued to chug along.
New Revelations About Hulu’s Future
Business Insider has obtained an internal document that outlines Disney’s plans to do away with Hulu.
Photo: Disney+
Named “Project Gemini,” the multi-step plan to fully integrate Hulu into Disney+ by the end of the year concludes with the sunsetting of the Hulu app.
“The Hulu tech stack and app will be decommissioned after all users have transitioned” from that app into Disney+, the document said.
Photo: Disney+
At this point in the process, Hulu is still an active app. Disney, however, has already begun moving resources away from the service.
“Hulu is on life support at this point, with no active development,” a veteran streaming product employee working on Hulu told Business Insider.
Hulu. Image Credit: Disney
At this point, it is a matter of when, not if, Hulu is shut down by Disney. Still, there is work to be done before Disney’s “one app” experience is ready to go.
For now, viewers can continue to use Hulu as normal. They should, however, be prepared to make the jump to Disney+.
Photo: MickeyBlog
