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Disney+ and Hulu enter the next stage in their relationship: living together (but its going to cost extra)

Do we like it? No. Are we still gonna sign up? Probably.

The Bear screenshot — Image credit: FX on Hulu

Published on Wed Mar 27 2024

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If there is one thing that streaming sites love more than getting new subscribers, it’s finding ways to get existing subscribers to pay a little bit more. Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Netflix all have ad-free tiers for customers who want the same experience that streaming always promised to give them for a few dollars more each month. Now Disney+ is offering subscribers access to their new Hulu library – provided you pay a little bit more.

It was a move we all saw coming back when Disney announced it had acquired the majority shares of Hulu back in November, even if it took a bit longer to roll out than expected. Subscribers will still get access to the core Disney programming, but they can also pay $2 more a month to add Hulu shows like Shogun, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Bear to their Disney+ library. Just in case you missed the news, Disney is going to do you the favor of slipping those titles into your recommendations just to tempt you a bit more.

Granted, it is cheaper to buy the new Disney Bundle than to subscribe to both Disney+ and Hulu separately, but it is still frustrating that streaming, which originally promised to give people freedom from the onerous cable packages of yesteryear, is instead replicating that business model but somehow making it more expensive. At least fans in the UK and other international markets seem to be immune to this newest consolidation and repackaging of content – for now.

Are we cynical about the whole thing? Yes. Are we still probably going to subscribe to the Disney Bundle? Also yes because The Bear is awesome and we can’t stop ourselves.

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