Hulu Subs Can Add Disney+ for $2.99!

[Zookster]

I got the email yesterday, as I'm currently on the $1/mo Black Friday deal for Hulu. Apparently, it's not just a deal for select subscribers. I'll pay $3.98/mo. for both through the end of November and $9.98 through February 2023. This is my first go around with Disney+, so my watchlist "runneth over."

Hulu Subscribers Can Now Add Disney+ For Just $2.99 a Month

Since launch, Disney has been promoting its “The Disney Bundle” as the best way to save on its collection of streaming options, but it wasn’t particularly attractive for cord-cutters who aren’t …

thestreamable.com

 

[Bruce]

I received the same email but my 3 year deal with Disney+ is up this November, after that I will do the bundle with Hulu no commercials, D+ and ESPN+, great bargain for $20.

 

[mwdxer1]

I'll probably drop Disney+ in November as Disney+ has been a disappointment to me, as I expected more from their vault in 2.5 years! In fact they dropped a lot of older stuff they had in the beginning. Disney came on in 1955 and there are hundreds of old movies and hardly any of them have showed up. All of the new stuff is fine, but there are many of us older folks that want to see the old material. When I drop Disney+, I will monitor the service to see if they finally add more classic stuff.

 

[larry55]

I agree. I was disappointed with Disney+.

 

[Zookster]

Since this is my first time with Disney+, I'm a bit overwhelmed with everything I want to watch (mostly newer Marvel/Star Wars/Pixar content and several newer movies). But I could see how if I'd had this for the past year or so, I would mostly just be waiting for the next Marvel or Star Wars series to come out and the occasional recent release movie—i.e., probably not worth full price month in and month out.

 

[NashGuy]

Since this is my first time with Disney+, I'm a bit overwhelmed with everything I want to watch (mostly newer Marvel/Star Wars/Pixar content and several newer movies). But I could see how if I'd had this for the past year or so, I would mostly just be waiting for the next Marvel or Star Wars series to come out and the occasional recent release movie—i.e., probably not worth full price month in and month out.

Disney+ got off to a fast start but its subscriber growth has begun to slow. Its problem is that it doesn't appeal to a broad enough adult audience. Which is why we'll eventually see Hulu get absorbed into Disney+ as the service's general-interest adult-skewing brand (i.e. the same thing as the Star hub that already exists in Disney+ in some other countries). I think we'll also see the Hulu library shrink somewhat too, mainly becoming a repository of Hulu Originals, 20th Century films and next-day shows from their ABC, FX and Freeform networks (and maybe Fox too if that licensing deal holds).

An ad-supported version of Disney+ is supposed to debut this fall. Something like $9, maybe even $8, per month feels about right for a combo of D+ and Hulu with ads across both, while a combo of both ad-free should clock in right around $15-16, i.e. about the same as Netflix and HBO Max (ad-free).

 

[Bruce]

Disney+ got off to a fast start but its subscriber growth has begun to slow. Its problem is that it doesn't appeal to a broad enough adult audience. Which is why we'll eventually see Hulu get absorbed into Disney+ as the service's general-interest adult-skewing brand (i.e. the same thing as the Star hub that already exists in Disney+ in some other countries). I think we'll also see the Hulu library shrink somewhat too, mainly becoming a repository of Hulu Originals, 20th Century films and next-day shows from their ABC, FX and Freeform networks (and maybe Fox too if that licensing deal holds).

I think it has slowed because it does not have enough new content, Marvel Series for example, Hawkeye was done end of December, we do not get another series until the end of March, Star Wars also, Boba Fett was done the beginning of Feb., Obi-Wan does not start until May.

They need a lot more, not saying Netflix size, but still more, they have such a big catalog to draw from.

 

[NashGuy]

I think it has slowed because it does not have enough new content, Marvel Series for example, Hawkeye was done end of December, we do not get another series until the end of March, Star Wars also, Boba Fett was done the beginning of Feb., Obi-Wan does not start until May.

They need a lot more, not saying Netflix size, but still more, they have such a big catalog to draw from.

That's part of the problem, due to the covid-related production slowdown. We should see their content flow really pick back up this year.

But again, a big part of Disney+'s problem is that there are too many adults like me who don't have young kids and don't care about comic book shows or Star Wars. I do, however, subscribe to Hulu from time to time.

Just as it makes sense for WBD to combine their complementary services HBO Max and Discovery+, it also makes sense for Disney to combine their two complementary entertainment services. Force anyone who wants one to purchase the other. It's the same economic rationale as the cable bundle, just on a smaller scale.

 

[Bruce]

But again, a big part of Disney+'s problem is that there are too many adults like me who don't have young kids and don't care about comic book shows or Star Wars. I do, however, subscribe to Hulu from time to time.

Again, you are speaking for yourself, I am almost a 55 year old male that loves the Marvel/Star Wars films/shows, based on the money these films bring in should indicate that the shows are popular for a lot of Adults also.

I also watch things like Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu also.

 

[Zookster]

I think the drop in subscriber growth has a lot to do with the churn after so many people got great deals at launch. If I had signed up then, as someone in Bruce's demo, I'd currently be on an extended hiatus until the backlog reached critical mass. Though a lot of adults watch Star Wars/Marvel/Pixar, most don't watch the same content 10-20 times like kids do.

 

[NashGuy]

I think the drop in subscriber growth has a lot to do with the churn after so many people got great deals at launch. If I had signed up then, as someone in Bruce's demo, I'd currently be on an extended hiatus until the backlog reached critical mass. Though a lot of adults watch Star Wars/Marvel/Pixar, most don't watch the same content 10-20 times like kids do.

My point is simply that for a big global streamer to be one of the dominant survivors, they have to have wide appeal and reduce churn. They do that by having a variety of content that appeals to different demographics and tastes. If you're putting out new stuff each month that appeals to each member of the household, you stand a way better chance of never getting dropped.

This is why HBO Max and Discovery+ are merging and it's why, eventually, Disney+ and Hulu will merge too.