Disney+ will unhinge its jaw and swallow Hulu in 2026

It’s almost the end of the road for Hulu as a standalone app. Now that it fully owns Hulu, Disney will entirely integrate the streaming service into Disney+. It will roll out a new, unified app next year.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the price of a Disney+ subscription is going to skyrocket in 2026. A Disney spokesperson told Variety the company will still offer standalone plans for Disney+ and Hulu.

Disney CEO Bob Igor said on an earnings call that having Disney+ and Hulu on the same tech platform should help the company reduce costs and provide it with more ways to package ad sales. For users, Iger said the unified app will offer an “improved consumer experience.” Iger and Disney CFO Hugh Johnston said merging the services “will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the highest-caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family ...