MONEYBAGS MICKEY

Hulu App to Shut Down in Streaming Shake-Up

Disney’s grip on entertainment just got stronger after paying around $9 billion to Comcast over two years.

The Mouse House just got a pricey expansion.

Disney will merge with Hulu in a $9 billion deal with Comcast that will “fully” integrate the streaming service into its Disney+ platform, the company announced Wednesday.

Starting in 2026, Disney+ subscribers will be able to download a new app, which will marry the two streaming services, Variety reports. The Hulu app will be phased out in the process.

Luckily for subscribers who don’t want to pay for an extra service, a Disney representative said that there will still be an option for stand-alone subscriptions to either Disney+ or Hulu. Currently, a Disney-Hulu bundle subscription costs between $10.99 and $19.99 per month.

However, some Hulu subscribers took to social media to express skepticism and discontent about the discontinuation of the Hulu app. “I wish disney would just go back to being disney….. instead of absorbing every other streaming service,” wrote one X user.

“As a 15+ year fan of Hulu, I think it is the fastest, user-friendliest streaming app out there, so I sure hope Disney incorporates Hulu tech...” wrote Brian Stelter, chief media analyst at CNN.

The Daily Beast has reached out to Disney for comment.

Disney CEO Bob Iger, 74, told Variety that the merger will result in an “improved consumer experience” and will reduce churn—the rate at which customers unsubscribe—for the streaming services. However, Disney also announced that it would stop reporting subscriber numbers for its streaming platforms, claiming they are “less meaningful to evaluating the performance of our businesses,” according to Variety.

This deal comes as ESPN, which Disney owns, closed a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment to stream its live events, which previously were available on Peacock, on its forthcoming streaming service, also slated to launch in 2026.

The live events available for streaming on ESPN will include the extremely popular annual WWE marquee, WrestleMania, as well as SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and Survivor Series. ESPN streaming will be available starting Aug. 21 and will cost subscribers $29.99 per month, ESPN reports.

Disney has been haggling for total control of Hulu for two years and, in June, announced it had bought out NBCUniversal’s remaining one-third stake. In June, Disney paid $438.7 million to Comcast, NBCUniversal’s parent company, in addition to the $8.61 billion it spent in Nov. 2023, amounting to a whopping total of $9 billion.

From March to June 2025, Disney streaming reported a profit of $346 million, representing a 6 percent increase in revenue, according to Variety. Now, with the new deals locked in place, Mickey Mouse’s pockets will likely keep getting heavier.

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Amber LevisBreaking News Intern

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