This streaming app is making plans to shut down – here’s why

Ever since Disney added a dedicated Hulu tab to Disney+ back in 2024 and began folding more Hulu content into the platform, it’s sparked a lot of speculation about what this means for the future of the standalone Hulu app.

Disney hasn’t exactly been subtle about its intention to merge much of Hulu directly into Disney+. Just this month, it rolled out even deeper integration features, including the ability for Hulu subscribers to link their Hulu profiles to Disney+. That means watch history, watchlists, and recommendations can now follow you directly into Disney+, instead of staying locked inside the Hulu app. On top of that, Hulu subscribers can now stream Hulu content through Disney+ using their MyDisney login, even without a Disney+ subscription. And to top it off, Hulu avatars have officially made their way to Disney+ as well.

So with Hulu becoming more tightly integrated into Disney+, the question naturally arises: what exactly are Disney’s long-term plans for the standalone Hulu app? Officially, the company says it has “no current plans to sunset the Hulu app” (via Variety). But according to a leaked document, that doesn’t seem to be the full story.

According to a leaked Disney streaming document reviewed and reported on by Business Insider, the company has a multi-phased plan for Hulu internally referred to as “Project Gemini.”

The document outlines Disney’s effort to gradually merge Hulu into Disney+ and, at the end of the transition, shut down the standalone Hulu app entirely. That transition could reportedly be completed by the end of the year.

“The Hulu tech stack and app will be decommissioned after all users have transitioned,” the leaked document states, referring to the full migration of Hulu users into Disney+.

On top of that, Business Insider also spoke with a Hulu streaming product employee who described the current state of Hulu’s standalone app more bluntly, saying that “Hulu is on life support at this point, with no active development.”

With all of that in mind, it really does seem like the standalone Hulu app’s days are numbered, with Disney eventually shutting it down once the transition of Hulu subscribers over to Disney+ is complete.

…I wouldn’t be surprised if, a year from now, the Hulu app is gone entirely and fully folded into Disney+…

And honestly, that scenario doesn’t feel far-fetched. As I mentioned earlier, Disney has already been laying the groundwork for this over the past month, including allowing Hulu subscribers to log in to Disney+ and stream Hulu content even without a Disney+ subscription.

As for timing, nothing is confirmed yet. That said, I could see a shutdown happening sometime early next year if Disney completes the Hulu-to-Disney+ merger by the end of this year. But that’s still speculation on my part, and this is based on a leaked document, so it should be taken with a grain of salt.

Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if, a year from now, the Hulu app is gone entirely and fully folded into Disney+, which would be unfortunate for Hulu subscribers who don’t want anything to do with Disney+ and just want to use Hulu on its own.

For now, Disney insists it has no plans to sunset the Hulu app, but we’ll see how long that messaging sticks around.

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