Disney+, Hulu Merged App to Launch Next Month, Bob Iger Says
variety.comTodd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney, which is in the home stretch of swinging the deal to become the full owner of Hulu, will launch a beta test of an app next month that combines Disney+ and Hulu into a single experience, CEO Bob Iger said.
Disney still needs to close its deal with Comcast to buy out NBCUniversal’s 33% stake in Hulu. In a filing last week, Disney said it would pay at least $8.61 billion to Comcast for the Hulu stake, with the final price tag — which could be much higher — to be based on an assessment of Hulu’s market value by each parties’ bankers. “We remain on track to roll out a unified one-app experience domestically,” Iger said on the Mouse House’s earnings call for the September quarter.
A beta version of the Disney+/Hulu app will launch in December — giving parents time to set up parental controls, according to Iger — ahead of the official launch in spring 2024.
The company expects Hulu on Disney+ to result in increased engagement, greater ad revenue and lower churn, Iger said. Iger’s comments come after he announced earlier this year that the company was prepping a “one-app experience” in the U.S.
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