David Peperkamp
Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) has fully rolled out its integration of Hulu (DIS) (CMCSA) into the Disney+ service, allowing subscribers of both services to benefit from a single interface with combined search, collections and recommendations.
Combined content has been available in a beta program since December, but Hulu programs have been available on Disney+ through a "Hulu Hub," reachable through a homepage tile. Starting Wednesday, the content will be threaded throughout the home pages of bundle subscribers.
That culmination of a longtime plan is about "reducing friction for Bundle subscribers," said Disney's (DIS) direct-to-consumer chief Joe Earley.
“It’s going to be exciting for titles like The Bear, Shogun, and Only Murders in the Building," Earley said. "During the beta, we saw these titles performing really well with subscribers who typically had been watching more Disney+ content. I can only imagine what’s going to happen now with increased discoverability and integration on the homepage.”
As Earley suggested, the move is expected to help expose content that subscribers to both services may not know they can watch.
In the meantime, those subscribers to just one of Disney's streaming services will see a renewed push towards subscribing to the Disney Bundle.
After the past year's price increase, Disney now offers an ad-supported combination of Disney+ and Hulu at $9.99 per month (a 37% savings off the individual service prices), and ad-supported Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ at $14.99 per month (44% off). For ad-free "premium" consumers, Hulu and Disney+ are bundled at $19.99/month (37% off), and the "Trio Premium" of ad-free Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ comes at $24.99/month (41% off).
The newer subscribers to the Bundle (since the beta began) are watching more Hulu on Disney+ content than existing Bundle subscribers, Earley noted, saying it shows the integrated experience is "resonating" with subs.
The change comes with a new "Aurora" color scheme for Disney+, a blending of its existing blue with Hulu's signature green color branding.