Why Disney’s Huge Hulu Change Is Secretly Genius

In his company’s most recent quarterly earnings report, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed news that had long been suspected: Hulu will be integrated into the Disney+ app. The standalone Hulu app will be phased out in 2026 (though people can still get subscriptions to solely Hulu), as the only way to experience shows like King of the Hill, Shōgun, and The Bear will be through a single Disney+ and Hulu app. It’s a form of consolidation that puts most of Disney’s streaming future on one app.

It’s a little bittersweet to realize that the Hulu app that first launched in the final days of October 2007 will no longer exist by 2026. However, anyone worried that this signals Hulu and its programming going the way of the dodo need not fret. On the contrary, this seems to confirm that Disney is slightly pivoting its streaming future to largely focus on Hulu, which could be a very wise move for the studio.

Disney Has Already Indicated Its Streaming Future Is Hulu-Centric

On July 8, 2025, Disney released a sizzle reel of all the big new and returning shows dropping on Disney+ and Hulu for the rest of the year. In years past, the sizzle reel would’ve been crammed full of teases for big shows based in the worlds of Star Wars, Marvel, and other major Mouse House properties. However, the only two Disney+ TV shows highlighted here were Wonder Man and a new Percy Jackson season. The Zombies 4 TV movie also got a shout-out, but that was it for Disney+ exclusives.

Meanwhile, Hulu programming like Chad Powers, All’s Fair, Alien: Earth, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, King of the Hill, and Only Murders in the Building dominated the sizzle reel. The heavy imbalance in favor of Hulu programming in this sizzle reel indicates where Disney’s streaming future lies. Now that the Mouse House fully owns Hulu and Disney divisions like Lucasfilm and Marvel Television are significantly cutting down on their small-screen exploits, Hulu and its shows will be the primary driver of narrative streaming shows for this company.

Upcoming original projects for 2026 and beyond at these streamers further bear this out. Only Vision Quest and an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit show are either shooting or have finished principal photography for Disney+. Hulu, meanwhile, has a bevy of further shows on the horizon, including The Plot, The Testaments, and a Murdaugh murders show. This is a wise shift on many fronts, including how Disney+ seriously struggled to launch big, buzzy shows in its first five years of existence. National Treasure: Edge of History, Big Shot, and Turner & Hooch (among many others) just never caught on with the general public like The Bear or Only Murders in the Building.

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Hulu’s Already Got a Track Record for Producing Television

More importantly, with regards to Hulu, this streamer already has over a decade of experience launching and maintaining original programming. Disney+ required labels like Marvel Studios, Pixar, and Lucasfilm to overhaul their entire structure and creative priorities to produce overly expensive TV shows for the streamer. In contrast, Hulu already has the know-how and creatives who can produce tons of multi-season small-screen programming. That’s a more reliable and drama-free source of streaming productions than hurriedly converting film labels into TV production houses.

Plus, Hulu is intertwined with John Landgraf’s FX label, a domain that’s produced countless Emmy darlings and mainstream hits like Shōgun, The Bear, and Atlanta (among many others) over the years. That ensures Hulu can deliver prestige programming as well. There are just so many mechanisms in place already at Hulu, making it the clear frontrunner as Disney’s streaming champion. On top of all that, Hulu now has decades of brand familiarity with audiences as the place where TV lives.

Chucking that away, especially when Disney+’s original programming has garnered such a mixed reputation, would be foolish. Thus, Hulu getting folded into the Disney+ app is the biggest indicator yet that the home of King of the Hill’s 14th season is a critical piece in Disney’s future streaming empire. Though its standalone app will fall imminently, Hulu isn’t going anywhere. As long as it keeps producing shows like The Bear and Only Murders in the Building, this label will be the primary driver of Disney’s original streaming programming.

Are you surprised that Hulu is going away? Let us know in the comments below!