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Credit: DisneyEarlier this month, The Walt Disney Company–led by Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger–caused a major shakeup in the streaming space, the aftermath of which sees a beloved series pulled from the Disney+ streamer.
In the United States, Disney+ and Hulu are two separate offerings. Until June 10, Disney shared ownership of Hulu with Comcast, but has now paid the almost $9 billion to secure complete control over the streaming service. Currently, the services remain separate, but as the international market has exemplified, a homogenous offering is attractive to consumers.
The streaming space is incredibly saturated, with Disney+ and Hulu competing against Netflix, Max, Paramount+, and Amazon Prime Video. The House of Mouse currently has approximately 126 million subscribers, while Hulu has around 53 million. Disney recently alluded to removing its subscriber count from the public, like competitor Netflix.
It will be interesting to see how Disney develops its new side-by-side Disney+ and Hulu options, but one thing remains clear: no content is safe from cuts or platform switches.
During this last week, Disney+ was gifted a premium Hulu TV series, with Disney+ subscribers only able to watch for a limited time. FX’s The Bear was opened up to the Disney platform’s audiences on June 18 for five days only, meaning on Sunday, June 22, the Emmy-winning series will be cut from the service.
In the U.S., The Bear is only available to stream on Hulu, unlike in other territories such as the United Kingdom, where it is integrated into Disney+.
The addition and removal of content on Disney+ is not an uncommon occurrence. However, the reasons behind the changes can quite often differ. For example, in 2023, Bob Iger made a significant purge of the content available on Disney+ as part of his company-wide cuts to save Disney $5 billion.
The gutting of the service drew criticism from audiences as some content–such as Lucasfilm’s Willow—is no longer streaming on any platform worldwide.
More on FX’s The Bear
FX’s The Bear has emerged as one of television’s most acclaimed current dramas. It follows the journey of Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a Michelin-starred chef who returns to Chicago to run his late brother’s Italian beef shop.
What begins as a chaotic revival of a neighborhood deli quickly transforms into an ambitious reimagining of the restaurant as a fine-dining destination, with Carmy and his tight-knit kitchen crew battling personal trauma, high-pressure expectations, and the emotional weight of legacy.
The show has earned widespread praise and a slew of accolades, including Emmys and Golden Globes for White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Liza Colón-Zayas.
Created by Christopher Storer, The Bear has completed three seasons, with Season 4 set to debut June 25, 2025, on Hulu and Disney+ internationally. The ensemble—rounded out by Edebiri, Moss-Bachrach, Lionel Boyce, Colón-Zayas, and guest stars like Jamie Lee Curtis—continues to explore themes of reinvention, family dysfunction, and resilience.
How do you feel about this content change on Disney+? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!