Disney did everything they could to acquire 1/3 of Hulu from Fox and then later a controlling stake from Comcast. After the launch of Disney+ though it looks like much of the planning for Hulu is now on hold. Can Disney really spend billions on Hulu and just let it fall into obscurity? Here’s my take!
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Is Walt Disney Giving Up on Hulu?
https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/08/09/is-walt-disney-giving-up-on-hulu.aspx
Disney+ Is Huge Plus for Disney Shares
https://www.barrons.com/articles/disney-is-huge-plus-for-disney-shares-51596849698
Disney CEO Bob Iger touted the potential of Hulu, and planned to infuse it with new original programming and launch the service internationally. He also liked the service’s appeal to young adults, which advertisers favor.
However, more than a year after the Fox acquisition, Hulu is starting to look forgotten again. In its recent earnings call, Disney announced that it would launch an international streaming service under Star, an Indian TV brand it acquired in the Fox deal, rather than Hulu. And Hulu’s growth has been underwhelming during the pandemic, especially considering we’re in a streaming boom.
The streaming service, which is only available in the U.S., added 5.1 million subscribers in the first half of the year, growing from 30.4 million to 35.5 million. That figure includes ad and ad-free tiers of Hulu, as well as subscribers to Disney’s recently launched bundle of Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu, and Live TV packages that come with Hulu. It’s not necessarily bad — Netflix saw similar subscriber growth in the U.S. in the first half of the year, despite having about double the market penetration of Hulu. But Hulu seems to have missed its best opportunity to pick up market share, and with the pull-forward effect from the pandemic, subscriber growth is likely to slow substantially now.
