LOS ANGELES — Subscribers of both Disney+ and Hulu can now access Hulu content through the Disney+ app, as the Burbank media and entertainment giant launched its one-app integration of the two streaming services Wednesday.

Known as Hulu on Disney+, the combined experience brings shows such as FX's "The Bear" and Hulu Original "Only Murders in the Building" right onto the Disney+ homepage, allowing viewers to peruse those shows alongside already-existing Disney series and movies, such as "The Mandalorian" and "Loki." Hulu content is also fully merged into search and recommendations.

The Bob Iger-led company announced plans in December to combine Hulu with Disney+ and initiated a beta test to see how viewers would react to the integration.

The move is part of Disney's plan to increase viewer engagement and reduce churn on Disney+, which has 111.3 million subscribers globally. Disney has lost billions on its direct-to-consumer business as it tries to compete with Netflix, but the company has told investors that its streaming segment will begin to turn a profit by the end of fiscal 2024. Streaming losses have been a key component of a nasty activist shareholder campaign ahead of next week's annual meeting.

Disney+ has typically served up family-friendly content and major brands such as Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel, whereas Hulu's offering has been the streaming home of more adult-oriented programming.

Disney executives described the combined app experience as the most extensive technical advancement to the Disney+ streaming platform since it launched in November 2019.

"Watching Hulu on Disney+ is going to be simple, easy and seamless," Aaron LaBerge, president and chief technology officer of Disney Entertainment and ESPN, told reporters Tuesday. "It's going to make it stickier and more engaging, which is also going to be great for our business."

The price of the bundle plan starts at $9.99 with ads.

Here's what this means for viewers and why Disney wanted to combine the two.

Hulu and Disney+ will still remain as stand-alone apps

...continued

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.