Hulu and Disney+ to have a complete merger in 2026, details revealed

Hulu's fate has been in debate for years now, and it appears this has finally been resolved, as Disney will integrate the website completely into a new app experience set to debut in 2026. All brands under Disney+, from Marvel to Pixar and now Hulu, will culminate in a unified user experience.

This news comes in the wake of Disney's deal with Hulu, an ongoing conversation for several years now, which has finally come to fruition. Executives from Disney also revealed that this is an incredible step forward for the streaming giant to provide a much more unified entertainment experience.

Here's everything that can be expected from the streaming company, along with the details about the merger with Hulu.

Hulu set to merge into the Disney+ app by 2026

Disney has officially concluded the purchase of a major shareholding position in Hulu after buying out Comcast's stake in the streaming service. After the conclusion of this deal, the streaming giant has taken operational control over the streaming service and will be integrating it into the Disney+ offerings.

According to statements from Disney executives, the streaming giant aims to completely integrate Hulu and the entertainment services it offers into the Disney+ application. This will also be followed by the phasing out of the streaming service's standalone application.

Hulu has been a major entertainment provider for the past two decades. Its recent content offerings, ranging from original shows such as The Handmaid's Tale and The Bear to Only Murders in the Building, have been extremely popular with the audience in the entertainment sector, as well as critically acclaimed with multiple Emmy nominations to their name. Therefore, this is set to be an extremely lucrative deal for Disney.

Additionally, it has also been revealed that The Walt Disney Company will not be revealing quarterly subscriber numbers or the average revenue per user (ARPU) from the first quarter of 2026. This statement comes in regard to the multiple streaming platforms under its banner, such as Disney+, ESPN+, and now Hulu.

This decision has been made to focus on the profitability of streaming, which, according to the executives, is not as meaningfully expressed by these metrics. A similar step was taken by Netflix, which also announced that it would no longer reveal subscriber numbers quarterly. Netflix added that it would reveal subscriber numbers if and when certain special milestones were hit, and it is more than likely that Disney will also adopt a similar method.

According to executives' statements, Disney had a profitable third quarter in 2025, leading to the finalization of the merger and the decision to integrate the platforms. Here's what they said:

"Hulu will now become our global general entertainment brand. In the fall, it will replace the Star tile on Disney+ internationally. Over the coming months, we will be implementing improvements within the Disney+ app, including exciting new features and a more personalized homepage, all of which will culminate with the unified Disney+ and Hulu streaming app experience that will be available to consumers next year. "

They went on to add:

"By creating a truly differentiated streaming offering, we will be providing subscribers tremendous choice, convenience, quality, and enhanced personalization"

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