Disney rolls out beta Hulu on Disney+

Disney has rolled out its planned beta version of Hulu on Disney+, its move to create a bundle for US subscribers, before officially launching in the spring.

When bundle subscribers open their Disney+ app, they will now see a Hulu tile appear alongside the Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic tiles.

Clicking on the Hulu tile will take subscribers to a Hulu Hub, where they’ll be able to choose from movies and series from Hulu’s library for playback via Disney+.

Disney said the beta version is intended to help it better understand the consumer’s needs and wants when it comes to Hulu on Disney+ before it officially launches in the spring, and also to give parents time to set controls.

Following the launch, both Disney+ and Hulu will still be available as separate offerings. Hulu + Live TV and Premium add ons will still only be available within the Hulu app, along with the full Hulu SVOD content library.

“It’s an exciting next step for direct-to-consumer, but it’s important that people have managed expectations about what the experience is going to be,” said Joe Earley, Disney’s president of direct-to-consumer.

He said that the two-step launch approach will allow bundle subscribers with a Disney+ subscription to explore Hulu content and give Disney+ subscribers time to adjust parental controls and establish profiles for the entire family, if they don’t already exist.

“There are a few reasons why we think this is going to be an exciting new experience for our subscribers. Even before the launch of Disney+, research was very clear that consumers want ‘kid time,’ ‘we time,’ and ‘me time.’ I want incredible stuff for my kids, I want to watch things as a family, and then I want to put the kids to bed and watch things that are more adult in nature,” Earley said.

“It’s an unbelievable value in terms of the price point for the bundle, to get all this content in one place. Beyond unlocking that experience for our existing Bundle subscribers, our hope is to inspire Disney+ and Hulu standalone subscribers to upgrade to the Bundle as well, once they see everything that can be accessed.”