Disney adds Hulu hub to Disney+ ahead of full integration

Subscribers to Disney+ and Hulu will begin seeing Hulu content on their Disney+ apps beginning Wednesday as Disney prepares to combine the two streaming services into a one-app experience next March.

As part of the beta test, viewers who subscribe to both services will see a designated Hulu streaming tile on Disney+, similar to existing tiles for Disney’s Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and National Geographic brands.

Once they click on the tile, subscribers will be able to watch Hulu originals including “Only Murders in the Building,” FX series such as “The Bear” and next-day titles from Disney’s linear TV networks, like ABC’s “Abbott Elementary.” Hulu + Live TV will not be available on Disney+ as part of Wednesday’s rollout.

Hulu will remain as a standalone app, even after the official integration with Disney+ launches next year. The company is also preparing to do the same integration for Disney+ content on Hulu, though company executives have not provided a timeline for that feature.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger previously said during the company’s Nov. 8 earnings call that he felt “really good” about early versions of the integration and was optimistic about Disney’s ability to increase engagement and lower subscriber churn by offering an all-in-one app.

The changes come as Disney prepares to buy out Comcast’s 33% stake in Hulu for at least $8.61 billion sometime, pending an appraisal process expected to finish next year.

The addition of more mature content on Disney+ should also not come as a huge surprise for subscribers. Disney first began adding adult-targeted programming on Disney+ last year with titles like “Deadpool” and the Marvel-Netflix TV series “Jessica Jones” and “Daredevil.” “Echo,” an upcoming Marvel TV show, will land on Disney+ next year with a TV-MA rating.

To assuage concerns, Disney boosted its parental controls so users could change the maturity level for children’s (and adult’s) Disney+ profiles. The same will hold true as Hulu’s library is added to Disney+ and user viewing habits across both libraries will help inform the service’s TV and film recommendations.