Is Hulu Shutting Down?

Streaming is entering a new era.

Amid the news that Roku, FOX, and ESPN are launching a spate of new streaming services, Disney is the latest company to announce major changes coming to its platforms.

It was announced earlier this week that Disney will be “fully integrating” Hulu into the Disney+ app. But does this mean the end of Hulu as we know it?

The streaming service launched in 2008 as a free, ad-supported platform that has since garnered 55 million users thanks to its burgeoning library of original content which includes The Bear, The Handmaid’s Tale, Paradise, and more. Now, the Hulu app will essentially be phased out as Disney prepares to launch a “unified” Disney+ and Hulu app in 2026.

The new app will offer “great general entertainment, family programming, news and industry-leading live sports content in a single app,” CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said on an earnings call, per Variety.

With these changes, it does sound like the Hulu app will essentially be shutting down. Hulu will remain a featured brand on the Disney+ app and replace the Star tile on Disney+ internationally later this fall. The complete Hulu library, as well as Hulu’s live programming, will be available on the unified app

Photo: Chuck Hodes / ©FX on Hulu

Viewers will also still be able to purchase a standalone subscription to Hulu or Disney+ after this merger. Customers also have the option of subscribing to the Disney+, Hulu bundle. Hulu Live TV subscribers will reportedly be migrated over to Fubo as part of a joint venture.

It looks like the Disney+ app will look very different in 2026.

Work is already underway on the new, “unified” Disney+ and Hulu app, which will reportedly offer “exciting new features and a more personalized homepage,” according to the Disney execs. Live TV will also be integrated into the Disney+ app in 2026 .

The new ESPN app, which launches Aug. 21, will also be accessible in the app for bundle subscribers.