Disney+ is to restyle its international entertainment brand under the Hulu name.
It had previously used Star – acquired through the 2019 purchase of assets from News Corp – outside of the United States. Hulu Originals were labelled Star Originals in international markets.
Disney has been in full control of Hulu since the purchase of the remaining shares from Comcast in June. This is allowing Hulu to be fully integrated into Disney+ from June.
“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. All of this work will culminate with the unified Disney+ and Hulu streaming app experience that will be available to consumers next year,” the company said in a statement.
Disney ended Q3 with 183 million Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions, an increase of 2.6 million compared to Q2. Disney+ ended the quarter with 128 million subscribers, an increase of 1.8 million ono Q2, thanks to international growth.
The company expects a modest increase in the number of Disney+ subscribers in Q4, but is anticipating 10 million new Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions as a result of an expanded deal with the US cable firm Charter.
A new ESPN direct-to-consumer offer will go live on August 21.
