Disney announced a new round of Disney+ and Hulu integration features on May 19, 2026, bringing the two apps closer together with Hulu profile linking, Hulu access inside Disney+ for eligible Hulu subscribers, new Hulu profile avatars, and an upcoming Live Guide. Bundle subscribers who primarily watch Hulu on demand can now bring more of their Hulu activity into Disney+, though Hulu Live TV, add-ons, and non-adult profile linking are not fully folded in yet. Disney says there are "no current plans to sunset the Hulu app," a company spokesperson told Variety on May 19, 2026.
The announcement is a direct product of a strategy Iger has been describing for over a year. At Disney's FY25 Q4 earnings call on November 13, 2025, he told investors the company was working to "consolidate all of our entertainment content domestically within a single app" to simplify the user experience and "highlight the full value of our bundles," per the earnings transcript. At the same call, Iger said Hulu had become Disney's global general entertainment brand and that Disney was continuing work to consolidate its domestic entertainment content within a single app. These features are that strategy with a shipping date attached.
What's new in Disney+ and Hulu
Profile linking is the most immediately practical change. Starting May 19, 2026, select Hulu subscribers can link Hulu profiles to Disney+, while 18+ Hulu profile linking is rolling out to eligible Disney+, Hulu Bundle and Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Bundle subscribers in phases. Once linked, Hulu watch history, saved titles, and personalized recommendations surface inside Disney+. Titles in progress on Hulu appear in the "Continue Watching" row; anything saved to Hulu's "My Stuff" transfers to Disney+'s Watchlist, Variety reports.
To check whether profile linking is available, open the Disney+ app or visit Disneyplus.com, sign in with the same MyDisney login used for Hulu, and look for the prompt to link a Hulu profile to an existing Disney+ profile. Disney says the feature applies to 18+ Hulu profiles and is rolling out in phases.
The rollout is phased. Profile linking is currently available to select subscribers, expanding to all bundle subscribers later in 2026, according to Disney.
Unified recommendations and a Hulu hub are another major change. The "For You" tab now draws suggestions from both services, blending Disney and Pixar titles with Hulu's adult-oriented catalog in a single personalized feed, Cord Cutters News reports. A dedicated Hulu section has also been added to the top navigation bar, giving subscribers a direct path into Hulu content without switching apps. That builds on the March 2024 U.S. launch of Hulu on Disney+, when Disney made Hulu's on-demand library available to Disney Bundle subscribers and began integrating Hulu content into Disney+ recommendations, sets, and collections.
The Disney+ Live Guide is the least developed part of the update at launch. Disney+ will soon begin testing a guide that surfaces currently airing streams ABC News Live and Disney+ Playtime for all subscribers, and ESPN networks for those with qualifying entitlements, per Disney's announcement. No firm start date for the test has been announced.
Who can use Disney+ instead of Hulu
The impact depends on how each subscriber uses Hulu.
On-demand bundle subscribers get the most from these changes. The ability to merge Disney+ and Hulu profiles, combined with unified recommendations and a dedicated Hulu hub, collectively closes most of the functional gap between opening Disney+ and opening Hulu. For subscribers who primarily watch series and movies on demand, Disney+ is now closer to being a single destination.
Hulu Live TV subscribers are a different story. Full live channel access and add-on packages remain in the standalone Hulu app; Disney has confirmed they will come to Disney+ "at a later date," but offered no specifics, Variety reports. The upcoming live TV guide is a signal of intent, not a replacement. Live TV subscribers should plan to stay on the Hulu app for the foreseeable future.
Households with children's profiles face a gap worth noting. Profile linking applies to adult (18+) profiles only, based on Disney's own announcement. Families with Hulu profiles set up for younger viewers will need to manage those separately; Disney hasn't detailed how or when kids' profiles will be folded into the unified experience.
Hulu-only subscribers get something distinct from this update: the ability to sign into Disney+ using their existing Hulu credentials and watch Hulu content inside the Disney+ app at no additional cost, per Disney. They'll also see a curated sample of Disney+ and ESPN titles alongside it which Variety characterizes plainly as a preview designed to push single-service customers toward the two-service bundle.
One eligibility caveat applies across all groups: Disney's language consistently refers to "eligible" subscriptions without specifying which Hulu tiers ad-supported versus ad-free, for example qualify for which features. Subscribers may need to test their own accounts to confirm access.
Why Disney is doing this now
These features are user experience improvements, but the business logic isn't subtle.
At the FY25 Q4 earnings call, Iger said about 80% of subscribers who had signed up to the new ESPN app had chosen the Trio Bundle, which includes Disney+ and Hulu. Making Disney+ feel more complete raises the perceived value of upgrading and makes individual service subscriptions harder to justify canceling.
The Hulu-only Disney+ access also works as a bundle preview: eligible Hulu subscribers can watch Hulu inside Disney+ and see a small sample of Disney+ and ESPN content without changing plans.
The broader direction, as Iger framed it in November 2025 is toward a single domestic app where Hulu functions as a prominent hub rather than a separate destination. Disney is keeping the Hulu brand visible while moving more of the Hulu viewing experience into Disney+.
What's still coming in 2026
Three practical takeaways:
Profile linking is live now for select bundle subscribers and will expand to all bundle subscribers later in 2026 but the adult-only profile restriction applies at launch, and exact eligibility by subscription tier hasn't been publicly defined, per Disney. If you have the bundle and haven't been prompted yet, the rollout is phased.
The Live Guide has not launched publicly. Disney says it will soon begin testing the feature, but it has not announced a firm start date. Hulu Live TV and add-ons will come to Disney+ eventually, per Disney's commitment, but the timeline is vague, Variety reports. Live TV subscribers should stay on the Hulu app for now.
The destination isn't in question, even if the schedule is. For on-demand viewers, Disney+ is becoming the more useful default. For Live TV subscribers, add-on users, and households with profiles that cannot be linked yet, the Hulu app still matters.
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