The future of Hulu as a standalone streaming platform has become one of the biggest questions in entertainment this year, with millions of subscribers eager for clarity. While Disney has confirmed that Hulu’s vast library will eventually be folded into Disney+ as part of a unified streaming experience, there is still no exact shutdown date for the Hulu app, leaving fans wondering when they may lose the service for good. Although a definitive end date has yet to be announced, Disney CEO Bob Iger has recently offered a clearer timeframe for when audiences can expect the long-planned content merger to take place.
When will Hulu officially join Disney+?
During Disney’s Q1 2026 earnings and investor call, Iger provided a clearer window for when the long-anticipated Disney+ and Hulu content merger will finally move forward. While initial industry forecasts suggested an early 2026 transition, Iger confirmed that the full integration is now slated for the end of the year.
Addressing the company’s strategy, Iger emphasized that Disney is still refining the technology needed to deliver a unified platform. “Even though consumers will always be able to buy Disney+ or Hulu on its own, we are hard at work on the technology front to create the one app experience,” Iger said, according to TechRadar.
Iger added that most subscribers are expected to opt into both services once integration is complete. “But, by and large, we believe the great majority of consumers will buy both and it will be a fully integrated experience,” he said. “I would guess that would be coming sometime by the end of the calendar year.”
For the time being, Hulu will maintain its identity as a standalone service, even as the walls between the two libraries continue to thin. Currently, users with qualifying bundles can already bridge the gap by using their Hulu credentials to access content directly within the Disney+ interface.
However, the beginning of the end for the independent Hulu app is already visible in the hardware space. Speculation regarding the platform’s retirement intensified last month following its high-profile exit from Nintendo’s ecosystem. On February 5, Nintendo officially pulled the plug on the Hulu app for both the original Switch and the newer Nintendo Switch 2, a significant blow for users who relied on the consoles as their primary portable media hubs.
As Disney pivots toward this unified future, the disappearance of Hulu from gaming platforms serves as a clear signal: the era of the standalone green tile is drawing to a close, paving the way for a singular streaming powerhouse by December.
How Disney gained full ownership of Hulu
Hulu launched in 2008 as a joint venture between major media companies — NBC Universal (Comcast), News Corporation (Fox), and Disney-ABC Television Group — to create a centralized platform for streaming network TV shows and films online. Over the years, the platform has grown into a leading destination for next-day TV episodes, licensed content, and critically acclaimed originals, such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Only Murders in the Building.
Disney’s relationship with Hulu deepened over time. In 2019, following its $71.3 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Disney’s ownership stake in Hulu rose to 67%, giving it a controlling interest in the platform. Comcast’s NBCUniversal held the remaining 33%. As part of a 2019 agreement, Disney gained full operational control of Hulu while Comcast retained its financial stake, with a clause allowing Disney to buy out Comcast’s share starting in 2024.
That transition became official in 2024 when Disney exercised its option to acquire Comcast’s remaining stake for an estimated minimum value of $8.6 billion. By July 2025, Disney had completed the acquisition, making Hulu a wholly owned subsidiary and paving the way for a unified streaming experience under the Disney+ umbrella.
Source: Techradar