Disney+ adding Hulu integration as streaming bundles accelerate

Disney is beginning to roll out a Hulu integration on its Disney+ streaming platform in a bid to bundle subscribers. The full launch is expected March 2024, Disney said Wednesday.

The company offers a bundle of Disney+ and Hulu, but Wednesday’s release is part of a push to integrate the two platforms. Disney last month agreed to buy the remaining one-third stake in Hulu that was owned by Comcast’s NBCUniversal.

The Hulu integration is available to people who subscribe to the bundle, albeit in a limited form for now, according to a post on Disney’s website.

“It’s an unbelievable value in terms of the price point for the Bundle,” Joe Earley, president of direct-to-consumer for Disney, said in a statement. “Beyond unlocking that experience for our existing Bundle subscribers, our hope is to inspire Disney+ and Hulu standalone subscribers to upgrade to the Bundle as well, once they see everything that can be accessed.”

The two streaming platforms differ in their content offerings, with Disney+ geared toward family-oriented content and Hulu oriented more toward adult dramas and unscripted TV. The gradual launch of the integration will give parents a chance to adjust parental controls before the full release in March, Disney said.

The beginning of the integration comes after a slew of other streaming bundles have made their way onto the market.

Paramount and Apple were reported last week to be mulling a bundle of the company’s streaming platforms. Streaming leader Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max have also partnered with Verizon, which will offer a bundle of the two platforms.

Disney first announced its bundle of Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu in 2019.

Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.