Blog | AppLogic Networks

Disney+ began including Hulu content in March of 2025, so even when the Hulu app disappears, Hulu branding and content will live on inside Disney+. Still, the change could be disruptive for Hulu users and invites some risk for Disney despite multiple rewards.

With news swirling about the change, we thought it would be insightful to take a deeper look at a few of the network statistics behind the consolidation and to consider the implications for Strategic Planners, Marketers, and Product Managers. Although these insights focus on Disney and Hulu, Network Operators can similarly leverage AppLogic Networks’ data to launch new offerings, form revenue-generating partnerships, and identify both risks and opportunities.

From a Strategic Planning, Marketing, and Product Manager perspective, three key areas to consider include: Video On Demand subscriber implications, Hulu Live TV subscriber implications, and the Disney+ app market position.

Video On Demand (VOD) Subscriber Implications

Exactly how the Disney+ app will evolve or be received by Hulu subscribers should have little dependency on the network. Still, the network contains valuable insights that can be harnessed through AppLogic Networks’ Operations Insights product. Consider for example the following subscriber insights derived from our products:

• More than 60 million households in the U.S. have used the Hulu, Disney+, or both apps in the past seven days
• 63% of those households used both the Hulu and Disney+ apps (> 37 million)
• 27% of those households used only the Disney+ app (> 16 million)
• 10% of those households used only the Hulu app (> 6 million)

Diagram 1: A pie chart captured from AppLogic Networks data illustrating the proportion of subscribers using only the Hulu app versus only the Disney+ app versus both apps across a 7-day period

It’s curious that more than 37 million US households utilize both the Hulu and Disney+ apps even though significant Hulu Video On Demand content has already been integrated into Disney+. This suggests that brand loyalty may be split, and user interface preferences could strongly influence migration success.

For subscribers of both services who continue to gravitate toward the Hulu app, how will they respond when the Hulu app is no longer available? Could the disruption drive subscribers to reconsider their subscription and increase churn?

Combined subscription revenues produced by the individual apps could be a challenge for Disney to retain upon initial unification. Yet, after the initial plunge, long-term revenues and subscriber stickiness will seemingly benefit from content that lures and hooks a wider consumer base.

Live TV Subscriber Implications

While the Video On Demand audience is massive, the Hulu Live TV subscriber base adds another layer of complexity to Disney’s strategy. Disney’s Q3 report indicates they have 4.3 million Hulu Live TV users. These subscribers will be merged with Fubo TV’s 1.36 million subscribers.

In the short term, Hulu Live TV users will continue to use the Hulu app; however, most expect this will be short lived, and that the Hulu Live TV and Fubo TV apps will also soon be “unified.”

Since both services focus on live TV services, it begs the question: is Disney hoping to ignite a live streaming segment apart from video-on-demand? Amazon Prime, Peacock and Netflix have incorporated live streaming events in their content line-ups. These live events can push capacity demands on network operators to new heights. With recent changes to net neutrality, is there a possibility that major live events rely on coordination with network providers? This is an area AppLogic Networks is especially interested in, since our classification capabilities include segmenting live streaming versus on-demand traffic.

Market Position

Another key consideration for Strategic Planners and Product Managers is whether the app unification will reposition Disney+ among video streaming leaders. Today, Youtube, Netflix and Amazon Prime lead the industry in terms of subscriber popularity and traffic volumes. Will unifying the Hulu and Disney+ apps be enough to make Disney the superstar of video streaming providers? Here again, AppLogic Networks data contains the answer.

So long as no major changes in the subscription base occur across the video streaming providers, the consolidation of Hulu should boost the total Disney+ app user-base by roughly 11%. Unfortunately for Disney+, this alone is likely insufficient to upset the video streaming leader board. Still, it should help narrow the gap behind Amazon Prime as well as help solidify their position over next-in-line contenders like Apple TV+.

Diagram 2: Top Fixed Video and Television Apps from AppLogic Networks 2025 Global Internet Phenomenon Report

Conclusion

The unification of Hulu and Disney+ into a single app appears to be a natural progression in Disney’s acquisition of Hulu. Still, such changes could have big implications. Will it improve subscriber loyalty or spark cancellations? Will it open new segments in the video streaming landscape? Is this Disney’s bold strike to challenge the industry’s big 3—YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime?

Whether the app unification conjures loyal fans or disappearing subscribers will depend on Disney’s ability to retain both Hulu loyalists and new audiences. 

Disney just waved its wand. The streaming world is about to experience the magic.

References:

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/app/uploads/2025/08/q3-fy25-earnings-transcript.pdf
https://ir.fubo.tv/news/news-details/2025/Fubos-Global-Streaming-Business-Exceeded-Subscriber-Revenue-Guidance-in-Q2-2025/default.aspx

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