Bob Iger continues to make big moves in an attempt to streamline the Walt Disney Company’s online streaming services. The recently-returned Disney CEO announced on an earnings call that Hulu and Disney Plus will soon be combining into a standalone app.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Iger explained this new app is aiming to roll out by the end of the calendar year, and that the service will not initially be available to the general public. For now, the app will only be available to consumers who are subscribed to both Hulu and Disney Plus.
“While we continue to offer Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ as standalone options, this is a logical progression of our DTC offerings that will provide greater opportunities for advertisers, while giving bundle subscribers access to more robust and streamlined content, resulting in greater audience engagement and ultimately leading to a more unified streaming experience,” Iger reportedly said. He later added, “The advertising potential of this combined platform is incredibly exciting.”
Iger also reportedly signaled that conversations about the future of Hulu, which is jointly owned by Disney (the company owns 2/3 of Hulu’s stakes) and Comcast (which owns the remaining third), are up in the air. “How that ultimately unfolds is to some extent in the hands of Comcast and in the hands of a basically a conversation or a negotiation that we have with them,” Iger explained, adding that the two companies have already engaged in “cordial” conversations.
Iger had previously implied a willingness to part with Hulu, with the brand seeming more-or-less extraneous to the future of Disney. With Disney Plus being under their purview, Hulu seems to be an odd position. Technically, the streamer services as a repository for Disney’s more mature titles, but that stance has softened in recent years, and Disney Plus does contain a multitude of rated R content in its international catalogues.
Iger’s recent words, however, instead imply that the company is now aiming to keep Hulu under their domain for some time. At the very least, it looks like the company won’t be offloading it any time before the end of the calendar year – but perhaps the studio will change its tune if the combined service does not perform well.