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Credit: Inside the MagicThe Disney+ streaming service has just been irrevocably changed. Let’s figure out what happened.
Disney+ and the Streaming Wars
Disney’s proprietary streaming service was supposed to be the doom of Netflix. When it was launched in 2019, it had one of the world’s largest catalogs of IP, including Disney animation and live-action classics, Star Wars and Indiana Jones (courtesy of Lucasfilm), Pixar, National Geographic, The Simpsons, and more. It was also initially offered for a rock-bottom price that deeply undercut Netflix and its other streaming rivals.
Moreover, it also promised to immediately roll out exciting original series like WandaVision and The Mandalorian, extending both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars into new mediums. But since then, things have not panned out as Disney CEO Bob Iger planned.
In the last year, the subscription cost of Disney+ has doubled, much of its highly publicized original content has been deleted (like the Willow revival series and The World According to Jeff Goldblum), unpopular ads have been pushed on audiences, and the company has begun cracking down on password-sharing.
At this point, not only has Disney+ not overtaken Netflix as the world’s most popular streaming service, but Bob Iger is openly saying that the Mouse House needs to emulate its rival and catch up to its technology. In other words, it is no surprise that Disney+ needed a major change.
Related: Customers Should Brace Themselves as Disney+ Ramps up Streaming Ads
Disney+ and Hulu
At the end of 2023, Bob Iger announced that Disney+ would be merged with Hulu, the streaming service that it co-owned with Comcast. Despite Disney’s numerous financial issues, Iger committed to purchasing Comcast’s 33% stake in Hulu for a whopping $9 billion dollars; for comparison, that is about what he spent on purchasing Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios, put together.
Initially, Disney decided to merge Disney+ and Hulu gradually, forcing some customers into a beta test that required new levels of parental controls as R-rated content flooded the formerly family-friendly streaming service. But now, the day has arrived that classic Disney+ has disappeared and only the merged Disney+/Hulu service is available.
What’s Changed With Disney+?
The first sign that something new was happening to Disney+ popped up yesterday when audiences noticed that the streaming service’s logo had changed on their smart TVs and in app stores. It was a subtle change, but it was clear that the formerly dark-blue logo had been changed to a green-tinged gradient more reminiscent of Hulu’s own branding. You can see it below (or on your TV, there’s no choice anymore).
A statement says the new shade “is named Aurora, both for the aurora borealis, but also as an homage to Princess Aurora. It’s beautiful, a bit more adult, and signals a change.” Now, Disney has officially announced the merger has taken place and the landing pages of Disney+ prominently feature mature-themed shows like The Bear and Shogun.
That is not a surprise in itself, given that those are two of Hulu’s most popular series. It does, however, suggest that this new streaming service is leaning hard into the Hulu side of things and less to the classic Disney+. Searches on the app will now include Hulu suggestions, and if you’re not already signed up for the latter, it’s going to try to get you on board with an ad-supported version. For people who don’t like being pushed to sign up for a new service, this might be a bit irritating.
It is also worth noting that Disney has announced a massive new ad campaign for its merged service, which it says will include “out-of-home placements, custom broadcast, and digital spots, cross-branded social media posts, bi-coastal experiential stunts, including on-site activations at the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.” All of that sounds like we’d better get ready to see a whole lot of new branding.
Behind the scenes, a massive amount has changed. Hulu is more than a decade older than Disney+, a huge span of time in terms of technological progress. According to The Verge, Disney EVP of content operations Chris Lawson says that getting that new little Hulu tile to show up on your Apple TV required the transfer and conversion of over 100,000 content files, which includes movies, TV shows, artwork, subscriber information, metadata, and more.
Related: Disney+ Releases Lost Live-Action Remake After Studio Purge
Will There Eventually Have Only One Disney Streaming Service?
In a press statement, Disney Entertainment President of Direct-to-Consumer Joe Earley says, “What’s thrilling about the full launch of Hulu on Disney+ is we’re reducing friction for Bundle subscribers. During the beta, the Hulu content was purposefully isolated to the Hulu Hub, but now it will be fully integrated into Bundle subscribers’ homepages.”
That’s a not-very-subtle way to say that this launch of the new Disney+ is explicitly designed to cater to Bundle subscribers, i.e., those customers who have signed up for a single price to include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Given that Bundle subscribers are some of the most profitable for the Walt Disney Company, that’s not shocking.
Bob Iger has already expressed interest in someday combining Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ into one single unified streaming service, which could potentially be an actual industry changer. What that might mean for his attempts to create a Triforce sports streaming app with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery is currently unknown, but it seems that, as time goes on, Disney is going to keep consolidating.
What do you think of the new Disney+/Hulu app? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below!