Disney+ and Hulu Will Merge

By Andrew Sanford | TV | November 9, 2023 |

By Andrew Sanford | TV | November 9, 2023 |

“Disney owns everything” is an adage that once made me giggle. “Relax, everyone, I would say. “Just because they bought Star Wars and Marvel and 20th Century FOX and,” at this point, people would usually walk away from me. Part of my hesitancy to acknowledge Disney’s rampant ownership was that they had yet to fold in anything (that I noticed, anyway). Even when they bought FOX, they kept it separate (20th Century Studios).

I understand that this was a naive approach. Because I want the best, I often give people or super conglomerate mega corporations the benefit of the doubt. In my mind, Disney would purchase these things, but they would attempt to maintain their integrity. It wouldn’t turn into that Patton Oswalt monologue in Parks & Rec.

Thanos isn’t battling Luke Skywalker (yet), but Disney is in the process of absorbing its newest acquisition. Next Spring, Disney+ and Hulu will become one app. The beta for the program will roll out in December. In discussing the change, Bob Iger uttered one of my least favorite sentences ever, saying, “We remain on track to roll out a more unified one-app experience domestically, making extensive general entertainment content available to bundle subscribers via Disney+.”

“General entertainment content” is a cursed phrase. It makes sense that Disney would fold the two apps together. They already broke the seal by having R-rated movies and television shows on Disney+. Now, they can include access to FX shows and FOX movies. While Donald Glover works for Amazon, Atlanta will stream on Disney.

That presents the other intriguing prospect. When I want to watch It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, I’ll turn on Disney+ (or whatever it ends up being called). Sweet Dee will officially be a Disney Princess, making this a Disney princess song.