Two apps. Two subscriptions. Two different places to search when you can’t remember where that one show lives.
Yeah, that’s ending. The Disney-Hulu merger date is sometime in 2026, though Disney hasn’t said exactly when. What we know for sure is that the Hulu app you’ve been using will disappear completely. Everything moves into Disney+.
How We Got Here
Who owned Hulu before Disney? NBC, Fox, and ABC started it back in 2007. Old-school TV companies are trying to fight Netflix. Disney bought in in 2009, but for years it was this weird shared thing between multiple companies.
Then Disney bought Fox in 2019 for $71 billion. That gave them 60% of Hulu overnight. In July 2025, they finally bought out Comcast’s remaining stake for roughly $439 million. Now, who owns Hulu? Disney. All of it.
What Changes
Starting next year, you won’t open a separate Hulu app. You’ll open Disney+, and Hulu content will be sitting right there. Disney’s been testing this since December 2023 with some bundle subscribers.
The Hulu name isn’t dying completely. It’ll stick around as a content hub inside Disney+, probably called “Hulu on Disney+” or something similar. Disney knows the brand matters. Hulu had about 55 million subscribers as of summer 2025.
The Price Situation
Right now, the Disney Bundle Duo with ads costs $9.99 a month. Without ads on both Disney Plus Hulu services, plus ESPN+, you’re paying $19.99 monthly. Those prices went up in September 2025.
After the merger? Disney’s being vague. Their CFO, Hugh Johnston, mentioned a beefed-up ESPN bundle around $29.99 per month. CEO Bob Iger says you can still subscribe to services separately, but they’re going to push bundles hard because that’s where the money is.
Look, they’re not combining these apps out of the goodness of their hearts. More content in one place means you watch more. More watching means more ads sold and better data on what you like. That keeps you subscribed and makes shareholders happy.
What You’re Actually Getting
Disney+ has all the family stuff. Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, those nature documentaries. Clean. Safe. Boring if you’re over 12.
Hulu’s got FX dramas, The Bear, The Handmaid’s Tale, and actual adult content your parents want to watch. Completely different audiences.
Throwing them together means maybe you came for The Mandalorian but stick around for Only Murders in the Building. Disney wins either way.
They’re promising better recommendations too. Right now Disney+ is pretty bad at suggesting shows. Netflix figured this out years ago. Disney’s finally catching up with a “For You” page that might actually work.
The Live TV Mess
Hulu + Live TV is merging with FuboTV. That deal closed in October 2025. Disney owns about 70% of this combined thing now.
Both services keep running under their own names for now, but eventually everything funnels back to Disney. If you use Hulu + Live TV, you’ll access it through the Hulu section inside Disney+. Confused? Join the club.
This happened after Fubo sued Disney over some sports streaming thing. Fubo won, got $220 million, and then immediately partnered with Disney anyway. That’s how this industry works.
Why This Matters
Streaming was supposed to be cheaper than cable. Remember that pitch? How’s that going?
Now Disney’s combining two services into one. Sounds convenient until the price goes up. They’ll call it added value. You might call it something else.
The good news is you won’t waste time searching Disney+ for something that was actually on Hulu. Everything’s in one spot. That’s genuinely useful.
The bad news is we’re watching streaming turn into cable all over again. Big companies buying everything, bundling it together, charging more each year. Different technology, same playbook.
The Timeline
December 2023 is when testing started. August 2025 is when they announced the standalone Hulu app would die. October 2025 brought the international rebrand. Sometime in early 2026, probably the first quarter, the full unified app launches in the US.
Disney hasn’t locked down an exact date. They’re probably waiting to see if the tech actually works and whether people freak out. Smart money says early 2026, timed with some big show release to distract everyone.
Your Hulu Login and Account
Existing Hulu subscribers will migrate to the new system. Your login should transfer over, though you’ll probably need to set up new app stuff and permissions.
If you already have both services bundled, you won’t notice much. You’re basically using the beta version already. Hulu-only subscribers will need to switch to Disney+ or maybe keep a standalone subscription, though Disney’s going to make that option suck.
Start figuring out your passwords now. Because nothing’s more fun than trying to remember which email you used five years ago.
Is Any of This Good?
For Disney shareholders? Yeah, probably great. Lower costs, better margins, more market control.
For you? Mixed bag at best. One app is easier than two. But paying more for less choice isn’t exactly thrilling.
The streaming wars were supposed to give us options. Now those options are disappearing faster than new Marvel shows get canceled. We’re right back where we started, just with worse customer service and more apps to juggle.
What Actually Happens Next Year
The Disney-Hulu merger date in 2026 ends Hulu as its own thing after almost 20 years. It gets absorbed into Disney completely.
You get one app instead of two. That’s easier. You probably pay more. That’s not. And you get to watch the streaming industry become exactly what it promised to destroy.
At least you won’t have to remember which app has The Bear anymore. There’s that.
But honestly? This whole thing is just cable repackaged for people who thought they were too smart for cable. The joke’s on us. We’re all paying more for the same amount of content, just spread across different apps instead of channel numbers.
Welcome to the future. It looks a lot like the past, just with better graphics and worse customer service.