Deadline reports that Disney+ will be trading out the Stars “tile for a Hulu one in an upcoming update of the app. This marks the first international move for the streamer following Disney’s acquisition of Comcast from the application’s shareholders.
According to Deadline, the streaming business remains the standout for Disney, particularly after its Q3 earnings report. In the commentary on the Q3 earnings report, the executive commentary revealed the plans for Hulu to replace the star’s tile.
Via Deadline, currently several different brands and platforms can be viewed on Disney+, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. ESPN and Star brands are subject to territorial rights and discretion.
Deadline reports that Disney executive commentary spoke on the already diverse streaming platforms future plans: “Work is already underway to continue enhancing our technology, and over the coming months, we will be implementing numerous improvements within the Disney+ app, including exciting new features and a more personalized homepage,” an analyst call that followed the executive commentary spoke on the Hulu integration. “All of this work will culminate with the unified Disney+ and Hulu streaming app experience that will be available to consumers next year.”
According to Deadline, the idea of fully integrating the Disney+ and Hulu platforms creates strong synergies within the ad sales portion of Disney’s revenue stream; however, many believe that the action may be premature. Hulu, while well-known in the US and Japan, has very little brand recognition outside of those two nations. Even so, some still believe in its international viability. “I actually think it’s a better brand than Star for international,” stated Guy Bisson, an executive director at Ampere Analysis.
Other executives have spoken about the move, including Jack Davison, Executive VP at 3Vision. “Internationally, I think it’s a sensible move, audiences won’t care, and the Star brand has meant many different things across some markets for some time now. It has a history in some markets – especially Asia – that likely confused things, and it hasn’t clearly represented that part of Disney’s proposition. It presents an opportunity to clean up the positioning of that side of the D2C product, and I can’t see it impacting the producers.”
Bisson spoke again on the idea of an eventual dissolution of the Hulu brand. “Any U.S. phase-out would need to be gradual, as I do think the brand carries weight there for a certain type of content – particularly among viewers interested in more network-type content.”
Hulu has sought out international prospects for more than a decade. A possible merger with ITV has been a possibility since 2009, but an international deal has remained speculative, except for a streaming deal in Japan in 2011. The deal was then sold to Nippon three years later.
Florent Lamy, founder of the Paris-based agency Elevate Management, said this about the move. “Smart and long-awaited move from Disney. Consolidating Hulu as a global brand inside Disney+ not only simplifies the experience — it gives more clarity to creators, viewers and strategic partners across markets. As someone working daily on connecting U.S. talent to international audiences, I see this shift as a major signal: Global storytelling needs brand architecture that travels. Curious to see how this will shape the way platforms position and finance content internationally over the next 2-3 years.”
Others have spoken in opposition to Lamy and US consolidation citing the possibility of reduced opportunity “Disney’s betting on one platform, one brand, one global user journey,” wrote Chair Fatima Salaria, Edinburgh TV Festival Executive, in a post via LinkedIn. “That means fewer local commissions, less room for regional identity, and more content pulled from a central pipeline, shaped by algorithms not curators… This isn’t just a rebrand, it’s a shift in power.” she added.
