Disney Will Launch a 'One-App Experience' Combining Hulu Content With Disney+ During an earnings call on Wednesday, CEO Bob Iger announced changes to be made to Disney+, including combining Hulu content and raising the cost of the platform's ad-free plan.

By Madeline Garfinkle

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

SOPA Images | Getty Images

Disney is making major changes to its streaming services (Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+) including trimming content on its platforms and raising the cost of its ad-free plan on Disney+.

During an earnings call on Wednesday, CEO Bob Iger announced that the company is going to launch a "one-app experience," combining Hulu and Disney+ content on one platform.

"I've now had another 3 months to really study this carefully and figure out what is the best path for us to grow this business. It's clear that a combination of the content that is on Disney+ with general entertainment is a very positive," Iger said on the call.

Additionally, the Disney CEO added that it will be raising the price of its ad-free tier to "better reflect the value of our content offerings." The current price of Disney+'s ad-free plan is $10.99 per month.

However, it remains unclear how the uptick in cost will affect subscriber counts. In August of 2022, Disney increased the price of both Hulu and Disney+, and lost about three million subscribers between Q4 2022 and Q1 2023, according to Statista. The latest earnings report recorded a subscriber loss of four million, marking a consecutive three-quarter downward trend, so only time will tell how the new price increase will affect the subscriber base.

Related: Disney CEO Says Disney+ Should 'Achieve Profitability' in 2024 As Its User Base Reaches 164 Million

The combined app will likely roll out by the end of the calendar year, Iger said. Additionally, Disney said it will begin evaluating content across its streaming platforms with the intention to make some cuts.

Removing content will help the company "align with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation," Disney CFO Christine McCarthy said on the call.

Disney's latest move comes nearly a month after HBO and Warner Bros Discovery announced a combined streaming service called Max, set to launch on May 23rd.

Madeline Garfinkle

News Writer

Madeline Garfinkle is a News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate from Syracuse University, and received an MFA from Columbia University. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

Uber's CEO Says Drivers Have About 10 Years Left Before They Will Be Replaced

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says the jobs of human drivers are safe for the next decade, but after that, another type of driver will take over.

Business News

'Everyone Can Profit From It': What Is DeepSeek? China's 'Cheap' to Make AI Chatbot Climbs to the Top of Apple, Google U.S. App Stores

DeepSeek researchers claim it was developed for less than $6 million, a contrast to the $100 million it takes U.S. tech startups to create AI.

Business News

Elon Musk's DOGE Is Hiring People Eager to 'Work Long Hours' to Eliminate 'Waste, Fraud and Abuse' in the Government. Here's How to Apply.

The Department of Government Efficiency is hiring U.S. citizens to help cut spending and headcounts in the federal government.

Business News

'I Love Doing Product Reviews': Bill Gates Stepped Down from Microsoft in 2020, But Admits He Still Spends 15% of His Time Working at the Company

In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Gates also said he is still close with Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella.

Branding

How to Build a Strong Brand Identity for Your Early-Stage Startup

Branding might not be your first priority, but neglecting it can hurt your startup. A strong brand identity early on sets the stage for marketing success.