Huge Disney+ Change Will Finally Fix One Of The Worst Things About Streaming (Or Make It Much Worse)

Goodbye, Hulu. Sort of, we guess. As Disney+ moves forward with its plans to phase out the former streaming giant that it absorbed in an acquisition back in 2019, we’ve finally gotten some information on exactly what we can expect with this structure change and what that means for the content we currently get from Hulu. Regarding the shutdown, Disney has stated that users “will begin to see further integrations of Hulu across the Disney+ app as part of an ongoing and iterative slate of product updates on the homepage and beyond.”

But fans of the original Hulu app shouldn’t get too excited, as Disney has also stated that there will be a full shutdown of the app sometime in 2026, though no exact date has been set. Users will still be able to download and access the Hulu app for now, though it’s still unclear how this will be handled as the shutdown looms. “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,” CEO Bob Iger said. It looks like, moving forward, that all resources will be dedicated to making the Disney+ homepage more accessible, including a For You style recommendations page—which will either prove to be awesome, or a huge flop.

Read Next

The Hulu App Is Going Away (and What That Means for Users)

Will These Improvements Actually Make The App Better?

“These enhancements are just the beginning, with additional updates planned in the lead-up to the launch of a unified app experience next year,” Disney said about the algorithm that they plan on introducing in hopes of streamlining user experience. Per Variety, they also stated, a bit vaguely, “By creating a truly differentiated streaming offering, we will be providing subscribers tremendous choice, convenience, quality, and enhanced personalization.”

A For You page has the potential to be a really nice user experience. We all love experiences that are specifically tailored to us, that anticipate what we might want to watch after the day has sucked out our will to make choices, leaving us in the endless search loop that we have found ourselves in more than once. But it’s also a double-edged sword, pushing us forward into what is becoming more and more homogeneous content and becoming what can only be described as a bias-confirmation engine. How will this one pan out? Well, the only way to find out is to wait and see, unfortunately. Though with Disney raising prices for both their ad-supported tier and ad-free viewing, they had better hope that the new For You recommendations are the best thing since sliced bread, or they might see another mass deletion of their app. 

What are your thoughts on a potential For You page? Let us know in the comments, and check out the ComicBook forums to see what everyone else is saying.