How people watch Hulu is going to change come 2026. As part of a series of announcements during a quarterly earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the company would be “fully integrating Hulu into Disney Plus.” But what exactly does that mean?
Hulu has been one of the major US streaming services for years, with its own slate of original programming, a library of classic TV shows and movies, as well as a live TV component (Hulu with Live TV). Are all those going to be Disney Plus shows now?
Many of the details involving this news will be revealed in the coming weeks and months ahead of the proposed 2026 launch, but in the meantime let us help you answer some of the biggest questions you may have.
What is happening with the Hulu standalone app?
The biggest takeaway from this announcement is that the Hulu standalone app will no longer exist.
According to the announcement, Disney will instead offer a “unified” Disney Plus and Hulu. We already have what is likely a preview of this, as Hulu is currently available as part of the main Disney Plus platform in the US as a specific tab that people can access. There may be some tweaks, but the basic concept is expected to be similar, with users able to go to the section to access Hulu’s specific offerings.
However, per Variety, a Disney rep says that consumers will still be able to buy Hulu as a standalone app (same with Disney Plus). So though you’ll be accessing Hulu through the Disney Plus app, technically you shouldn’t need to sign up for Disney Plus if you don’t want to. Obviously, in that case, you wouldn’t be able to access any Disney Plus content, and vice versa. Of course you can also sign up for both, and Disney already offers Disney Plus and Hulu bundled packages.
So, long story short, instead of having a Hulu app and a Disney Plus app, there’s only going to be the Disney Plus app moving forward that will house both Disney Plus and Hulu content.
When is Hulu standalone app going away?
We don’t have an exact date for when the Hulu standalone app will no longer be available. All that has been reported thus far is that the new combined streaming platform will launch in 2026.
How is this going to affect the Disney Plus, Hulu price?
At least right now, there is no information on whether or not this unification of Disney Plus and Hulu will impact the price of either streaming service or the Disney Plus/Hulu bundle.
Currently, consumers can sign up for a standalone Hulu subscription with ads for $9.99 per month and $18.99 per month for an ad-free subscription. The Disney Plus/Hulu bundle currently costs $10.99 per month with ads and $19.99 per month without ads.
We can’t rule out that these prices may change as we get closer to the official launch of the new combined streaming service, but as of right now there is no info regarding that.
What is happening with Hulu with Live TV?
The announcement also reaffirmed that Hulu with Live TV is not going to be offered any more either, instead the live TV streaming service and all of its subscribers will be migrated over to Fubo. This was previously announced January 2025.
There’s no timetable for when the migration is going to take place, as the initial report said the deal could take 12-18 months to close. If 18 months that would place it about late June/July 2026.
Are Hulu shows going to become Disney Plus shows?
From all indications from these reports, while all the content will now be housed under one streaming platform, Disney Plus content and Hulu content will keep their respective branding.
So, The Bear, Only Murders in the Building, King of the Hill, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and other popular shows should still be referred to as Hulu original series. This makes sense as many of the Hulu shows serve a different, generally older audience than many of the Disney Plus series that revolve around Star Wars, Marvel and more.
Is Hulu going to become available in the UK and abroad?
One other piece of news from the announcement that was interesting is that Hulu appears to be going international.
Since its founding, Hulu has been an exclusively North American streaming service. Any of its shows that premiered outside of the US did so on Disney Plus, mostly under a specific banner called Star. That’s about to change.
Starting in fall 2025 (again, an exact date is TBD), all Disney Plus subscribers around the world that have Star will see the brand officially replaced by Hulu. Again, this shouldn’t change too much of what is being offered, just officially making Hulu a global brand.
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