Hulu will replace Star as a tile on the international Disney+ service.
This marks the first major international expansion for Hulu and closely follows Disney buying Comcast out of the U.S. streamer last month.
As Disney’s streaming business once again shone in its latest earnings quarter results, the company’s executive commentary for Q3 revealed Hulu would become a “global general entertainment brand” that in the fall “will replace the Star tile on Disney+ internationally.”
Disney+ currently comprises Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, with the ESPN and Star brands available in select territories.
“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,” said Disney in executive commentary for Q3 that came before an analyst call later this morning. “All of this work will culminate with the unified Disney+ and Hulu streaming app experience that will be available to consumers next year.”
Hulu has long been targeted as an international brand, with the streamer almost tying with ITV on a major content deal as far back as 2009. However, it didn’t materialize and Hulu has ever since remained a U.S.-only brand. Coincidentally – or not – ITV and Disney+ recently began a content-sharing partnership that sees their services in the UK running select batches of the others content.
Disney launched Disney+ globally in 2021 with its Star brand, which was widely used and well-known across Latin America and Asia, designated the general entertainment tile.
Disney only a few weeks ago completed the process of buying out Comcast’s stake in Hulu, The streaming service, which started off as a joint venture and at one point involved four media giants as stakeholders, came under Disney’s operational control in 2019 as part of the company’s $71.3 billion acquisition of most of 21st Century Fox.
In the U.S., Hulu programming has been steadily integrated into the Disney+ flagship amid speculation that the nearly 20-year-old streaming outlet would ultimately be absorbed into Disney+. Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnson, in the comments, which were released prior to the company’s earnings call with Wall Street analysts on Wednesday, said Hulu had been fully integrated into Disney+. They called it a “major step forward” that will “create an impressive package of entertainment.”
What’s not yet clear is whether Hulu will remain a standalone app once the integration is complete.
Dade Hayes contributed to this post.
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