Disney is moving closer to folding more of Hulu into Disney+, and Hugh Johnston said the next step is likely to include live TV inside the app. He also said Hulu add-ons and bundles will be further integrated, extending a product overhaul that Disney says is meant to make the service stickier and easier to use.
Johnston made the comments during the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, where he said Disney has made good progress on engagement and churn reduction over the last year and a half. He said the company has now created a one fan, one account ecosystem, a sign that Disney is trying to make its streaming services feel less like separate products and more like one place to watch.
The reason Hulu Live TV matters now is that Disney appears to be searching for the mix that keeps viewers inside the same app for longer. Johnston said live TV on the Disney+ app is likely and that those members tend to churn less, which makes the live offering more than a feature update. He also said Disney+ will likely get a sharper and better recommendation engine, along with a cleaner UI and features such as BIRT to make mobile viewing easier.
That push builds on changes already visible to subscribers. Hulu On Disney+ has existed for years, letting Hulu subscribers watch shows such as Shogun and Only Murders In The Building directly within Disney+. Internationally, Star has already been replaced with Hulu, making Hulu the general entertainment hub outside the US. In the US, Disney is preparing to bring Hulu and Disney+ together more fully.
The unresolved part is how far Disney wants to go without surrendering the revenue it still gets from Hulu's live product and add-ons. Johnston said those pieces will be further integrated into Disney+, but he did not say when live TV will actually appear in the app or exactly which bundles will move first. For now, Disney is making clear that Hulu is not being separated from Disney+ so much as pulled deeper into it.
