Walt Disney Company has just fired the streaming 3rd level game, revamped Hulu, ESPN and its wider subscriber strategy, all of which boldly turns to a future digital empire. In a major update to the streaming roadmap, the company announced three major changes to its quarterly earnings report yesterday (August 6): the independent Hulu app in the U.S. is retired; ESPN’s long-awaited independent streaming service is finally launched; Disney will stop reporting subscriber numbers for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ quarterly, which has led Netflix to recently decide to do the same thing.
Bob Iger & Co.’s information is unclear: the rules of streaming games have changed. That’s it, Disney started to look less like the old media giant, but rather a serious contender for Netflix streaming dominance. “We lost a billion dollars a quarter a while ago,” Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston told CNBC’s Squawk Box yesterday. “We do have a solid foundation now.”
In June, Disney Completed the acquisition NBCuniversal’s remaining shares in Hulu. As a result, the standalone Hulu app will officially retire in the United States in 2026, with Hulu and Disney+ fully merged into one platform.
This shift is aligned with larger global rebranding efforts. So far, Hulu content is only available in the U.S., while Disney+ subscribers abroad have accessed similar titles through the “Star” tiles in the app. question? Star Hub also contains content that our audiences don’t have, creating a scattered experience. To unify things, Hulu will replace the Star brand on the international Disney+ app starting this fall. This change will establish Hulu as Disney’s single global entertainment brand.
But it’s not just simplifying technology; it’s about improving user engagement. Julia Alexander, as a hockey player Who was in the past Parrot Analytics noted on X that separate libraries for Disney+ and Hulu are not enough to get users back to two applications, and the unified platform can change those two applications.
Independent subscriptions for Disney+ and Hulu will still be available, although Disney has not clarified how they will grow. The company is also a joint venture with Fubo to combine its live TV streaming products, including Hulu + Live TV.
Another major streaming action is ESPN. On August 21, the long-awaited standalone ESPN streaming service will debut, offering one of the most powerful digital sports packages for rope cutters. The new ESPN app will launch two subscription tiers, including a $29.99/month plan, with access to all ESPN linear channels and ESPN+. The platform will also feature real-time statistics, real-time betting integration, multi-view options and personalized SportsCenter Feed (essentially digital sports field), which is the time for the NFL, college football, the U.S. Open and global football seasons.
To adopt early, Disney bundles ESPN, Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99 in the first year of the app.
In another strategic hub, Disney announced it will stop reporting subscriber numbers for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ this fall. “The number of subscribers means less to assessing our business performance,” Iger and Johnston said in their prepared speech. Instead, Disney will emphasize engagement and profitability as its core indicators.
